Perhaps Not Her Finest Moment
by Miranda Panda-chan
Summary: She had noticed him chasing her far before he'd gotten close and had acted accordingly: she'd begun to run faster. Vincent growled in annoyance; only the guilty ran. And Yuffie was always running. WarFic. Yuffentine.
1. Prologue: A New Leader

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. **

**A/N: First chapter fic for Yuffentine. I've been playing with this idea for a few months now, but I've finally got all my scattered-ideas and threw in some Chemical X just for kicks and giggles and BOOM! Story. So read it. Please? And review. Yes. But know that if it absolutely sucks, this is just a test run to see if I continue writing for this pairing, and make it my main one. **

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Perhaps Not Her Finest Moment

**Prologue: A New Leader**

**By Miranda Panda-chan**

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The darkness was soothing, even despite the ridiculously hot temperature of the Wutain summer. It was late August, and despite never ending heat of the day, her father's health had not stopped deteriorating since the beginnings of February, when he'd come down with, what they'd assumed to be, the common cold. However, after months of no recovery, they noticed that during his coughing fits, he now spit up blood.

Yuffie returned to Wutai in late June, a week after receiving notice while visiting Tifa and company at the new Seventh Heaven bar in Edge.

It wasn't like she hated her old man. They just had some severe disagreements while in the same vicinity of one another. He was her father, strict and stubborn, but he'd been her driving force for years…she'd always imagined that he'd live forever. Death had never occurred to her…

So there she sat, swinging her legs off the porch, watching the night sky in the vague hope that might calm her down enough so she could get some sleep. She sighed, wondering how everyone was doing. She hated being in Wutai again; hated the pathetic existences they all seemed to lead—she'd only come back for her father. Sure, she loved her people, her kinfolk, but it was the environment, the sense of defeat that overwhelmed and weighed heavily in the air. Wutai made her eyes burn in anger, and she was always better at running away rather than confronting her problems.

"Ugh..." she made a frustrated noise, spinning a shuriken around on her index finger mindlessly out of boredom as hurried footsteps approached from behind. She turned her head lazily to see the two guards who'd been watching over Godo out of breath behind her, "Hi guys," she said happily, taking in their haggard appearances, "something you wanted to tell me?"

"Princess, Lord Godo demands your presence-!"

"Demands, huh? If he asks nicely maybe, but no one bosses the Great Ninja Yuffie around." She said childishly, not bothering to look at them as she spoke, too entranced with the spinning weapon on her finger.

"My lady, he doesn't have long." Her eyes widened as she jumped up, pushing past the two and running toward her father's deathbed. She slid the rice paper door open forcefully, eyes searching out the too-still form of her father.

"Old Man?" she called loudly, scrambling to reach his futon.

"Haven't I taught you to be reverent yet, you heathen?" his normally commanding voice was weak, barely above a whisper. It crackled as he spoke, coughing into his hand. She tried not to cringe at the crimson stain on his palm.

"Just wanted to make sure I got here on time, for once," she said, laughing dryly at her poor attempt to make the setting less serious and gloomy than it was.

"Yuffie, listen to me and listen well. You're my only heir. You _must_ stay in Wutai…you must lead them to a brighter era, the one you've always strived for."

"Hey, old man, you're gonna get through this, don't sweat it, you can lead them. You're much better than me at it."

"That I am, but Leviathan will be here to take me to Paradise before the night is out-!" he fell into a coughing fit, his entire form shaking from the mere force as his life in liquid form spattered against his hand, dripping on to the sheets, staining them crimson.

"No, seriously, I can't. You can't. Don't do this." She pleaded quietly. He gave her a small satisfied smirk, sliding his eyes towards her as he finally fell back against the pillow. He closed his eyes as if to blink…and they never opened again.

"Old man? Godo!" she shook him lightly, trying to get him to once more open his eyes, weary as he was, just one more glance of reassurance, _anything_! "Dad?!" the two guards came in as she yelled for her father loudly.

The shell of her father did not reawaken, nor did it answer her.

She swore loudly in her native tongue, cursing her over emotional reaction. She wiped her eyes with her hands, roughly rubbing away the tear tracks and hoping her eyes weren't too red and puffy. Her throat was dry from her crying and yelling. The guards eventually had had to pull her away from his corpse…

And now she was alone once more, in the unforgiving society of her own country.

The one place where she never wanted to be…and now she was stuck here for the rest of her days…all alone. Forever.

_Wow, life sucks._

She couldn't help but hate him a little, out of pure childish spite, for leaving the throne to her. For leaving his job to her.

For leaving her, period.

"Lady Yuffie, the Elders would like a word with you." She glared daggers at the man that had dared to disturb her, but got up without a word. Silently side-stepping him to exit the room and head towards the meeting place of the elders.

Her shoed feet thudded against the polished wood loudly as she walked down the long hallway. Normally, one was forced to remove their shoes in reverence to the cleanliness (which was next to righteousness and holiness or something along those lines) of the elders. But she was Yuffie. And she hoped the elders would get hit by a crashing airship…or eaten by chocobos. It didn't really matter, so long as she had a camera when it happened. However, despite her great efforts, the elders didn't look surprised when she entered the room, clad in her usual ninja garb and wearing her shoes that laced up to her knees.

"You called for me?" she said, her voice low, slightly raspy. They all nodded solemnly.

"Lord Godo is dead."

"I know, I was there when he died." She spat out, looking away from the old men. He cleared his throat as if to tell her to not interrupt. _Like hell, I will_.

"You are the obvious successor to the throne, but we being the overseers of Wutai, second only to the royal family, we must question whether you will stay faithful to Wutai."

"What exactly are you implying there, huh?"

"You leave frequently, Lady Yuffie. Saving the world might be a noble cause, but your allegiance lies with Wutai first and foremost, as Queen, your obligation would be to remain here to watch over your people, you would lead them to war, whether it was against your previous allies or enemies, you would act in ways that benefit the people of Wutai, and the people alone. If it so benefits you as well, so be it, but the people come first. You understand?"

"Of course. What do you take me for? I've been the princess since birth, I was taught the oaths when I could speak, I've been learning this _shit _since I could think." Her words came out sharply, each word not unlike a stab. The men before her looked appalled at her language and the noticeably lacking nobility of her words.

"Then you will take on the responsibilities bestowed upon you by blood?"

"I will." She said, her words were firm, confident—the complete opposite of how she felt. She wanted to run, to run and never come back. The words almost seemed to congeal in her throat, twisting around her tongue as they tried to choke her. It was like planting her feet in blocks of cement in the town square. She would never be able to get away.

She'd probably never see the rest of AVALANCHE ever again, she realized with start, the pain of the revelation causing a blow as if someone had punched her in the gut.

"Very well, then. Lady Yuffie, your coronation is in two weeks. I suggest you tie any loose ends with the outside world that you may have before then. Should you not have returned by the deadline, you will have forfeited the crown permanently…as well as your heritage." And she didn't doubt that he hoped she would. She nodded sharply, turning on her heels and leaving quickly.

She ran.

_Just keep running. Don't you dare look back. Don't you _dare_ do it, Yuffie._

She ran and left Wutai behind her in a cloud of dust.

And she wished with all of her heart that she had the strength to never look back. To never return to her birthplace, her _home_.

It sucked that she didn't.

So she'd hope that Tifa would come and visit her occasionally, perhaps send her gifts and make Cloud bring them to her. Or maybe send Vincent to check up on her, or tell Cid that she needed blueprints on how to make an airship so he'd drop by for a little while. Tell Nanaki that she needed to make some new allies and make some sort of treaty with Cosmo Canyon and its inhabitants, or get Barrett to go on one of his finding his true purpose hunts again so he just happens to end up on this side of Gaia…anyone, anything. Just please someone, _don't make her do this! _

_Don't _let _her do this!_

Because even she knew she'd be back in less than two weeks, having nothing but the very bleak future to look forward to…

And now those two weeks had passed…

Yuffie sighed, flopping down on the floor, petting one of her kitties that had dared to approach her in her atrocious mood. She'd pulled the calico into her lap and hugged it tightly, hoping to find some type of emotional support. All she found was whiny meow that spoke of it's want of freedom from her death-grip. Two weeks had come and gone. She'd returned three days before she was due to be back, just like the elders had hoped she would. She sighed, she hated being this weak. She hated Wutai for tying her down…but yet, she loved her country more than life itself. She'd done so much for it, and she'd wasted more than sixteen years of her life doing nothing but trying to help it improve.

But never had she wanted to stay in it for any indefinite amount of time…not like this.

Yuffie closed her eyes, wondering if they were actually going to force her to wear that stupid traditional kimono for her coronation, or if she could scare the elders enough to just let her in with her ninja garb…

And no matter how hard she tried to keep her mind focused on the petty things in life that bothered her…she couldn't help but remember Tifa and Marlene and Denzel and Cloud. She wouldn't admit it out loud, she'd rather shoot herself with Vince's machine gun, but she was jealous of Tifa to an extent. She had a happy life, filled with people she loved, that she chose to have an obligation to. She didn't have to deal with having an obligation _forced_ upon her, she stayed with her family because that was where she _wanted_ to be…

_And damn it, her family _was _with Tifa_!

However, the little voice in the back of her head never shut up about her chance to refuse the crown of Wutai. But really, the more she thought about it, who in hell would lead afterwards? Would they have the guts to stand up to organizations that would pop up like Shinra had? Would they have the intelligence to know that trying to fight head on with a huge army that had weapons while Wutai was rather primitive in its offense and defense of its own village was something of a genocide? Would they lead it like she would lead it? Or would they half-ass it as many others had in the past before Godo?

How could she have refused with Wutai's safety and mere existence on the brink?

She couldn't have. Plain and simple. She was the only one that could insure her peoples' survival. And so she would do it: for Wutai, for Godo, and for herself. She looked at the clock, her meeting with the Elders would be in ten minutes. She stretched, her muscles screaming for movement of any kind. Yawning, she walked out of her room, her shoed feet clunking against the wooden floors loudly as she went once more. They had wanted her to announce it publicly, that she would lead them, but she had obstinately refused. She knew her people too well, especially the younger generation, those arrogant and haughty and overly confident youngsters that knew nothing of politics and had not been raised by a sovereign nor taught the introductories of how to deal with important people that belong to some other nation. If someone wanted to challenge her, the news would travel quick enough—they could come to the elders to request one formally. She stopped in front of the door to the meeting room as she heard the angry voice of Kyrriu Itachi from within.

'_Well speak of the devil himself…'_ Itachi had been on of the youths that had tried to rebel against Godo at one time, but had been quickly subdued by the elders.

Wutai had been peaceful under Godo, despite the fight with Shinra and the gallons of blood spilt, the times afterward had been dry and isolated, but peaceful. They may have lost their pride, but they had not their families.

Yuffie was jolted from her musings at another loud indignant yell.

"You can't really be serious," came a loud complaint from the elders' meeting room, "She's hardly even been here for the past decade, how can we trust her to do what's best for the people?"

"It has always been the tradition that unless there is a challenger, which is then followed by a duel to the death if the challenger so dares to do so, then the throne remains in the family of the last living sovereign. Godo's only child is Yuffie, and she accepted her responsibility the day after her father took his last breath."

"So? I've never left Wutai to go flouncing about with a bunch of _foreigners_--!"

"To what, exactly?" Yuffie slammed open the door, eyes locked on to the youth that dared to question her leadership abilities and loyalties to Wutai, "To go and save the world? Sorry, I thought I was doing us all a favor so we wouldn't have to die!" The youth glared defiantly at the twenty-two year old, turning back toward the elders as he examined her.

"She dares to wear shoes in the most sacred of places—she's a disgrace to Wutai, and you're willing to place her as the face of it?!"

"Well if you have so much of a problem with it, why don't you _challenge_ me? Let's see who Leviathan chooses to lead his people." She said, giving him a knowing smirk. He sneered.

"We all know of your ninja training, but a leader must more qualities than just a sticky hand and quick feet."

"Like I said," she spoke through ground teeth, emphasizing every word like she was stabbing him, "if you have a problem then challenge me and let's leave it up to date. Or are you too much of a coward?" She glared at him, but held an air of smugness as she saw his steady gaze drop the floor. He remained silent, turning back to the elders once more. He'd just begun to same something when she spoke once more, "Ya know, a good leader isn't afraid to die if it's for the _good of the people_." The youth growled, bowing before the secondary leaders before storming out of the quaint little room. She walked lazily to the four men seated on the floor, all staring at her with stern expressions, disapproval screaming from every one of them. "So, you called for me?"

"Ahem," the first one cleared his throat before speaking, as if to forget about the occurrence that had just played out, "Yes. You need to memorize your oaths and go through the traditional purifying before your actual coronation two days from now. Otherwise, we will have to take young Itachi's arguments and complaints into consideration. Understood?" she nodded curtly. She had already known, had understood the second she'd agreed to begin Wutai's next sovereign.

"Then you are dismissed." And so she'd walked out, happy, if not a little bit smug, yet peculiarly somber.

That had been two months ago, at the end of August. A lot had changed since then.

But so had she, in more ways than one.

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A/N: So this is the end of the first chapter. Review and tell me how much it sucks, K? Updates will be sporadic. I have little time these days to do much of anything besides homework, so please be patient with me. But know that I mostly likely have not died if I don't update all that often.


	2. Attack on Wutai

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: C'mon people?! One review?! (All of my love goes to ****serenbach**** who loved me enough to review. I thank you.) Please review. Please, please, please! I'll love you forevers! Here's chapter dos…**

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Perhaps Not Her Finest Moment

**Chapter II: Attack on Wutai**

**By Miranda Panda-chan**

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Fire. Flames were snaking and licking at the wooden houses, including her own. The forest surrounding Da-Chao monument was set ablaze, the orange glow reflected on the smooth stone of the mountain. Yuffie surveyed her home, horror filling her eyes.

_Who would do something this terrible?_

Some of her people lay slain on the grassy ground, their blood seeping into the earth and staining the blades of green the color of crimson. The poor elderly man and his granddaughter lay among the bodies being piled, as people scurried about, some trying to put out the fire, others running in a panic, and some trying to evacuate people still in their homes.

"Leviathan!" she summoned their god from the depths of the materia she kept with her at all times. Water swept over the area, Tidal Wave doing its job nicely. Despite the fact that now everything and everyone was soaked to the bone…there were no longer any uncontrollable fires.

"What happened?!" Yuffie demanded from one of the men, he'd been a good friend of Godo's, one of the few they could count on to report as he'd seen it happen.

"I don't know. I woke up when I heard the screaming. The fire hadn't reached my house yet. I ran outside, but all I saw was glimpses of silhouetted figures that vanished almost instantly." Yuffie deliberated for a moment. The damage their village had suffered was severe, but justice came before anything. Women had already gone to the materia shop and had begun to use any of the Cure materia available on the wounded.

"Alright. Yuroichi, gather some of the men and search. I don't care if you have to go as far as to the very south or north tips. I want answers. We need a scapegoat, at least. By Leviathan, search everywhere until we find something or someone. Anything at all, you report back to me as soon as you find it. No man goes alone, groups of two, and make sure you all have your weapons in case of another attack. We don't need anymore casualties." She said seriously, displaying the authority of a true-born leader. He nodded.

"Yes ma'am." And with that he ran away, gathering men as he went. She sighed, eyes narrowing as she surveyed the area once more. Someone would pay for this.

_And whoever they are…they _will_ pay in _blood_._

The bar had been quiet lately, and the sun was still high up in the sky so Tifa had closed in favor of cleaning up a little before opening up again for her usual late night customers. Cloud sat on one of the barstools, a small shot of whiskey in his hand with his sword leaned up against the counter. He'd just recently returned from a delivery to the Golden Saucer. Something Reeve had sent to the carnies…he didn't really care to know much else. Marlene and Denzel were off at the newly built public school. It was small, but it was a start to a new life for the people of Edge, especially since Kadaj had caused quite a bit of a disruption with the children last time.

Tifa stood behind the bar, dishrag in hand as she dried off the glasses before placing the neatly on the rack in the cabinet.

"So she's leader now, huh?"

"Yeah, kind of a weird though, isn't it?"

"Mm," he grunted agreeing.

"She said we'd have to come visit her since she's not supposed to leave…It must be hard for her. I know Godo wasn't the best of fathers, but losing him had to of hurt her. And then never having to leave Wutai without some diplomatic reason? It's a wonder she even agreed to it."

"She cares about Wutai and its people. She stole our materia and killed a lot of Shinra soldiers all for her country. There's a sense of loyalty there that I don't really think we can even begin to comprehend."

"You're probably r-." her voice was drowned out by the slamming open of the locked door to the bar, the noise echoing within the wooden walls of Seventh Heaven. A balding man around five foot eight in a business suit stepped forward. Tifa narrowed her eyes, while Cloud's hand had immediately shot up to grasp the hilt of his sword, ready to swing it at a moment's notice.

"Sorry, but we're closed right now, sir. You'll have to come back later." She said firmly, loudly, hoping they'd just go away. They didn't have enough gil to do any remodeling or refurnishing or rebuilding. She could only thank God that Marlene and Denzel had yet to come home. The man nodded silently and moved aside, revealing the sheepish figure of an all-too familiar redhead.

"Hiya guys!"

"What're you doing here, Reno?" Cloud glared daggers at the former Turk.

"Well, ya see, it's kind of a long story, and the end of it has to do with receiving a, uh, monetarial advancement for, um, escorting these gentlemen to your hideout, I mean, bar." Two other larger men dressed similarly to the balding man stepped forward, grabbing Reno by the shoulders and pushing him out of the doorway into the street outside before shutting the door firmly, locking it. The man stepped forth once more.

"Who're you?"

"My name is of no importance, Ms. Lockehart, I only ask that you hear me out."

"What do you want?" Cloud growled at the man's arrogance.

"Your cooperation, of course. We are of no threat to you, madam, nor you, Mr. Strife."

"What, then?"

"A request of assistance to the former members of the terrorist organization known as AVALANCHE."

"Depends on the request." Tifa was about ready to throw one of her nice shot glasses at one of the bodyguards' head with the way they were trying to be intimidating; however, the man waved them off, letting them slide back outside and even the odds. Intimidation didn't work on the heroes of Gaia.

"My corporation is an affiliated branch of the World Regenesis Organization, the WRO, run by your friend, Mr. Tuesti."

"We know about Reeve and the WRO, what does this have to do with us?" Cloud was getting impatient. The man cleared his throat again.

"As an affiliate, we are concerned when a force appears that might damage the progression we've already made toward fixing the world back to its rightful order before Shinra; therefore, we are most distraught over the recent hostility exhibited by Wutai."

"You need to talk to Yuffie about that, and she's not here right now."

"Oh, we know: you see Miss Kisaragi is part of the problem." He smiled broadly, revealing white pearly teeth.

"What do you mean? What _problem_?" Tifa demanded.

"You see, Ms. Lockehart, Miss Kisaragi has recently taken over Wutai-."

"We know that already, get to the point. We don't have all day." Tifa snapped, obviously disliking the direction he was going with this discussion.

"We believe in the irrationality of her youth, she has acted on vengeful thoughts against other nations, two in particular being that of Midgar and Junon, due to their prior discriminations against Wutains."

"That's ridiculous! She's helping rebuild Midgar, and she's been working with Reeve and Vincent in the WRO since its creation. She had to quit being an active member due to her position but that doesn't means she's going to off the deep end and destroy everything we've worked so hard for!"

"Evidently, Wutai has long held their grudges, and she only now came to have the power to get even. But the fact remains that Wutai has become of great concern to us as well as the rest of the WRO. Therefore, the WRO, as well as I implores you. You all, Cid Highwind, and Barrett Wallace have defeated Sephiroth twice now, Kadaj and his gang, Bahamut SIN, as well as Deepground soldiers and the Tsviets. We would like to employ your services once more to help us rid the world of this new petty grievance before it become a World War. The WRO, as well as I, beg you to join us in our efforts and apprehend the rebel leaders known as Yuffie Kisaragi."

"WHAT?!" The glass shattered on the floor at Tifa's feet as she screamed at the man, anger in her scarlet eyes.

"I realize that this is a very hard thing to ask of you, considering she was once a friend and fellow savior of Gaia: however, you are our only choice, our only hope. We must capture her—dead or alive. For the sake of Gaia."

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A/N: Second chapter is completed! And for all who've read this, I've updated Chapter 1, I added quite a bit more toward the end, and it's kind of really important. As always, please review!


	3. Kalm Before the Storm

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Alrighty. So I changed the last chapter. And I finally think I'm happy with the beginning. So hopefully no more unexpected changes (all I did really was take out Vincent from the chapter. He was no longer on the scene). **

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Dedicated to: My sister, without her wanting to read this (and me wanting her to read total awesome) this chapter could not have been produced. Thank you.

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Perhaps Not Her Finest Moment

**Chapter III: Kalm before the Storm**

**by Miranda Panda-chan**

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Vincent had taken a liking to Kalm. It was one of those boring towns, nothing seemed to really happen there when the world wasn't being threatened by some evil, ancient force. He knew he had become mildly complacent with his surroundings, especially since Chaos seemed to be missing from his consciousness. It had been so long since he'd had any brand of peace, even the monotony of this kind was enough to make him feel somewhat content—for the moment at least. Reeve had given him a vacation, despite the fact that he was the only operative of his caliber even working full-time anymore. Yuffie had turned in her resignation (secretly, he might add) several months ago, around the end of May if he recalled correctly. He hadn't seen or heard from her sense, and from what he'd heard from Cid, neither had the rest of them.

However, it seemed that the news had heard quite a bit from her recently. He couldn't help but be disconcerted when others had tried to contact her…it was as if she'd dropped off the face of the planet…

He shook his head, he had no business worrying about Yuffie. And he had learned long ago that worrying did nothing but cause more trouble for any parties involved.

His thoughts, however, came crashing down as someone ran into him, pushing past him quickly—someone short with black hair and a high-pitched voice as she threw an apology over her shoulder and kept on running down the cobblestone street, however she was gone before he could catch much more than glimpse of her. He shook his head, this was why he'd never have children. This was also why he had chosen to not venture out in the open and busy streets of any town at noonday for several years of his own volition. However, he had run out of food, and he was as human as most now, Chaos having left the building, so to speak, and thus leaving him having normal human needs…such as needing food and nutrition on a daily basis. Sometimes more.

He stopped in front of one of the shops, hoping to just by a bowl of soup (the cheapest he could find, Tifa had pointed out to him that he was borderline stingy with his money) and be done with it. The man handed the steaming bowl to him, holding his hand out to receive payment. Vincent dug around in his pocket, the familiar leather wallet that held his money was nowhere to be found…

And suddenly, Vincent's day got a whole lot worse as he walked away from the angry soup-brewer's booth trying to figure out at exactly what point his wallet had disappeared.

The final conclusion was something of an exasperated epiphany as he sighed and began making his way to the local restaurant and bar.

_The girl that had run into him had stolen his wallet…_

He had checked his gauntlet, half-way knowing what he'd find…or wouldn't find, rather.

…_and his materia…._

And only one person in the course of history had managed to steal from him without him noticing immediately.

_Yuffie._

He stopped in the doorway, scanning the bar for the familiar bob of ebony hair. He narrowed his eyes, some people were just so predictable….those same people, he thought to himself, were also mildly depraved.

"I thought you'd stopped stealing from me?" he said quietly, his tone something of a warning and at the same time merely stating the obvious. She jumped a little, but didn't bother turning around.

"Yea…well, I had, but you know me and temptation. I'm a sucker for it, and I have absolutely not self-control, so what can I say? Although, I am a bit disappointed, Vince—last time I stole from, you at least had the courtesy to leave a generous amount of gil and materia in your wallet and cloak." He stared at her for a long moment, searching for something that would identify this bitter woman as the cheerful girl he'd once known.

"Why?" he finally asked, taking a seat beside her at the bar.

"Because a girl's gotta eat, Vinnie—and out of all the people in this shithole, it's at least possible, and highly probable, that you will be able to replace it."

"Why'd you quit working for Reeve?" he asked suddenly, he had stopped looking at her, but he could see her narrow her eyes at the clay cup in her hand, knuckles turning white as her grip tightened. A moment more of silence. "Why're you here, Yuffie?"

"Haven't you heard, Vince? I'm the leader of a radical ethnic group bent on taking out my revenge on the world." She smiled bitterly, a hint of sarcasm edging her normally cheerful voice. Her smile dropped as he stared at her unamused. "And I was needed elsewhere." She said hollowly, her face contorting to a neutral expression—one that was completely out of place on the face of the hyper-active ninja. She finally looked him in the eye, stormy gray eyes flicking up to meet his crimson gaze. He questioned her wordlessly, begging her to give him a real answer, one that wouldn't make her to poster child as the radical leader who ended the peace within seven months of helping to achieve it, their silent communication having been perfected over the years of WRO missions, "I went home, Vince…back to Wutai."

Vincent gave her a hard stare. She knew he would understand the implications, the truth that lay beneath the simple words. He wasn't as out of touch as people thought, besides, the very newspaper in front of her read in dark bolded letters, shouting to the heavens her crime:

**DECIMATION OF GONGAGA! WUTAI BACK FOR REVENGE?**

**New leader causes chaos. Will former heroine of Gaia, Yuffie Kisaragi, start yet another war against the world? **

It was almost laughable how she still sat so casually in such a public place, the accusing paper blatantly. She squirmed slightly in her seat under his heavy gaze.

"What have you gotten yourself into, Yuffie?" She growled, unleashing the pent up emotions he'd sensed earlier.

"The old man's dead. I'm the only one left. The Elders-…I'm a single female ruler, I have no real power. I just act as a puppet. I'm just the scapegoat when everything goes wrong." Shame made her unable to meet his eye yet again as she gave back the wallet as well as three of the five materia he'd been missing. His eyes widened slightly.

"You shouldn't make yourself such an easy target," she said softly, downing the last of whatever liquid had been in the clay cup. She closed her eyes resolutely, an action that stated some sort of defeat as she got up from the swivel seat and dug around in her back pocket for some gil to leave on the counter. "Vince, I'm telling you this as a friend—don't stay here…leave Kalm by tonight; otherwise, I'd keep an escape route ready." She said quietly, never meeting his eye, as she turned to walk out of the bar. She lifted her head, throwing him a glance over her shoulder through the doorway, "It was nice seeing you again, Vince." She smiled brightly and waved, disappearing into the crowds outside as she dawned her moogle cloak, hood covering her face.

He couldn't help but keep silent. Yuffie was immature, but this was something much bigger than her or himself…and as much as he believed she would do the right thing…He wouldn't put himself in the middle of something of a political war. Not without reason…he could only hope she wouldn't give him a reason…_that she wouldn't be his reason._ He rose from the bar deftly, walking out with an air of unease into the fiery glow of twilight outside.

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A/N: So, the fourth chapter is like fifty percent done already. I cut about two pages from this one (lots of gaps that I didn't really feel nor did I have time to fill up with stuff) so hopefully it should be out either later this week or sometime next week. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF PANDAS, REVIEW! (and I'll love you forever and send a chocolate chip cookie. Cuz we all love cookies.)

**Panda out.**


	4. Revelations I

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Ugh. Sorry this took so long to post! I swear I'm not dead yet. Hopefully, I'll be posting a lot more of my updates for all my in progress stories throughout the summer. Let's hope! Anyways, reviews are good for morale and they make me love you just a little bit more. And who doesn't want a panda's love? Seriously? You know you do. So review! (Hey that rhymed! I wish I could do that all the time.) Oh dear...it's late. Imma go to bed now...**

**OH! Also, I accredit the makings of this chapter to New Divide by Linkin Park and Let's Start A Riot by Three Days Grace. xD **

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**Perhaps Not Her Finest Moment**

**Chapter IV**

**by Miranda Panda-chan**

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The alarms and gunfire started at around three in the morning. Mothers screamed as their children cried while the militia of Kalm gathered and grabbed their weapons to defend their town. The explosions started around four, and Vincent watched the chaos unfold knowing who had started it. He helped several of the innocent families under attack shooting down one of the gun-toting terrorists with perfect aim. He slipped the war helmet off, reminiscent of the helmets worn during the first Wutain War, out of morbid curiosity, already knowing what he would find beneath the skillfully hammered metal. It didn't stop the mild shock as the face of Wutain youth stared up at him with horror-stricken and deadened eyes. Crimson eyes silently scanned the burning area, trying to tune out the screams in the search for nearly silent agile footsteps. He jumped, climbing silently on to the top of a roof, peering over the alleyways. The small stature of Yuffie had to be in the streets below…he just had to find the right dark alley and….there she was. He thought quickly, moving into action a mere moment after he'd spotted her. She was trying to stay out of sight, of course, and her posture suggested an injury of sorts. He quickened his pace, running a little behind her along the rooftops while she remained on the streets below. He watched her closely, it seemed she was looking for something as she ran out of yet another evacuated house.

However, she had noticed him chasing her far before he'd gotten close and had acted accordingly: she'd begun to run faster. Vincent growled in annoyance; only the guilty ran.

_And Yuffie was _always_ running._

A warning shot rang out as Cerberus's barrel exuded wispy white smoke. It was his way of saying to come quietly or he'd use force…something he'd begun to do on their WRO missions together. Reeve normally liked to keep the death count to a minimum, after all.

But she wasn't his partner now…

She was the criminal he was chasing.

She swore loudly, swearing to Leviathan as a second bullet embedded itself in her right shoulder mid-jump, the momentum throwing her off-course.

Yuffie fell to the ground with _thud_.

Blood poured from the wound as intense pain shot through her arm. She rolled to the side, her expression pained as she held her shoulder with her left hand, her right arm hanging limply by her side as she held a kunai knife loosely between her fingers. Vincent landed softly on the ground a little ways from her.

"Guess you caught me, Vinnie." He remained silent, as she turned around slowly, a grimace gracing her face as she hugged her shoulder a little tighter as it shot a jolt of pain through her arm. "So you gonna try and stop me now, too?" His crimson eyes took in her battle worn form. She looked like she hadn't slept in days judging by the dark circles under her normally cheerful eyes, and he couldn't help but notice how she walked with a slight limp.

"You started a war." It wasn't really a question. A bitter laugh bubbled forth from her lips as she gazed at him.

"Sure, we'll go with that. So what are you going to do, Vincent?" She looked at him, storm gray eyes begging him for something that he couldn't figure out. "Are you going to kill me now?"

"Why?" She didn't have to ask what his question pertained, too. She had known he would ignore her last question.

"Does it really matter? I'm killing innocent people. Haven't you heard the reports about us crazed Wutains slaughtering hundreds of people to exact our revenge on the world?" she smiled ruefully, "Ya know, pretending like you care kinda makes you look like an asshole, Vincent. It's a really rotten thing of you to do. I thought you of all people would get it, but obviously, you don't…" she grumbled, pulling her hand away from her shoulder only to grimace at the crimson coat that covered her flesh. She looked back up at him, leaning against the wall for support. His eyes seemed to devour her, swallowing her whole and mesmerizing her all in the same look. She growled lightly, unable to push back the feeling of betrayal welling up inside. Unable to look at him with those eyes staring at her with what might even be Vincent's version of concern. The longer those eyes held her own the angrier she felt, the more she wanted to yell and scream and tell him everything and try and make it make sense to someone who hadn't been there and she just wanted to hit him because _goddamn it he'd shot her! _So she went for the next best thing…she was going to annoy the hell out of him_, _"By the way, your aim _sucks._ You can hardly even call this an injury! Haven't you been ordered to take me down at all costs due to being a 'potential terrorist'?—or is it the victorious glory you're after?—maybe they'll reinstate you as a _Turk_-!"

"Stop it." he was monotone, but the warning flashed in his eyes, "You don't have any idea what you're talking about." She couldn't the self-righteous satisfaction that it brought her...she was the only one she knew of that could get a rise out of the stoic and dark man. However, her victory was short-lived as she processed his words. His misassumption striking a cord somewhere inside, fueling her fury.

"Like hell I don't! Like hell I don't know that AVALANCHE has been employed by _them_ to take out the insurgents, to take _me_ out at all costs! Like hell I don't know that all of you _fucking agreed_!" she spat at him. His eyes widened, "Did you think I was stupid? Did you really think that I'd start this without knowing who I could trust? I'll admit, I hadn't expected _this_. A full-scale stab in the back, but I suppose I should feel flattered—after all, Reeve did send his _best operative_."

"All we need is a reason and we're back on your side-you know that."

"Bullshit! You're working for _him_, so stop lying!" she yelled angrily. She suddenly looked up at the sound of thunderous explosion in the distance. "Shit!" she swore under her breath, looking at the pillar of smoke rising into the sky from what appeared to be near the town square. She looked back at Vincent, panic and anger swirling in storm gray eyes. "You want a reason, Vince?" she asked scathingly, "Fine. _This _is for Gongaga!" she whispered harshly. He gave her a hard stare, eyes pleading with her not to continue—not to make herself another nameless face that he was told to take out by Reeve and the WRO. That he would end up having to either kill or incarcerate.

"_This is for WUTAI!_" her battle cry echoed as she threw down a smoke-bomb, he lunged having anticipated it, as the alleyway became an opaque screen of gray. However, the ninja was nowhere to be found.

Vincent shielded his eyes, coughing slightly, glowering at the empty space now in front of him where the youthful ninja had once stood as the smoke cleared. The night seemed to settle as the echoes of her words rose from the rest of her army…

_For Gongaga!_

_FOR WUTAI!_

…a mournful cry that slithered up from every crevice of the town that was otherwise oddly quiet. The chants echoed loudly, and he jumped up once more to stand above the streets. The soldiers were retreating from the decimated battlefield of Kalm into the darkness of the wilderness. He wasn't certain, but he thought he could still here Yuffie's voice above the crowd, her cry louder, filled with a fury that might've sent a shiver up his spine had he not been who he was. But it was him. And it was Yuffie. And Yuffie did not scare Vincent…

However, the thought that she might get herself killed mildly unnerved him.

Over the horizon, the sky was lightening, the darkness giving way to a pinkish-orange glow, the sun peeking over the hills. The fires seemed to be dying down, and he doubted there were any living Wutaian soldiers still running about the streets below as he dropped back down into the alleyway. He tried to ignore the blood that had pooled between the cobblestones as he exited the dark crevice.

The townspeople were gathering in the town square, dragging the dead bodies of their friends into one organized and stately line, and dragging the dead bodies of their enemies onto a morbid and macabre pile of corpses, setting it on fire as each townsmen had their own personal revenge by spitting into the blazing pyre as they passed. The Wutain youths that had been filled with so much life and energy stared at him, fire echoing in the recesses of their dead eyes. He couldn't help but feel condemned…those eyes accused him even now, even though they were stormy gray and filled with life and _not here_…those eyes blamed him.

He walked swiftly past the burning bodies, exiting Kalm altogether in lieu of Midgar, he'd find a chocobo along the way or something.

_Those eyes may have blamed him…but he'd accused her first. _

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**A/N: So that's it for now folks. I was kinda sorta really yes seriously proud of this chapter. I think my imagery worked out a lot better than I thought it would. Agreed? Disagree? **

**Did it suck? You should tell me in a review!**

**-Miranda Panda out.-**


	5. Impromptu Meeting

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: **_**Ten thousand years will give you such a crick in the neck! **_**Sorry for the lack of updates, in general. It's not very long, and it's not filler, but a close relative. Please review!**

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Perhaps Not Her Finest Moment

**By Miranda Panda-chan**

**Chapter V**

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Yuffie glanced back from the fire blazing in front of her—her arm hurt like hell, and even with the bullet out there was still chance of infection. The potion she'd poured on it to disinfect it had made it burn, and the pain hadn't faded.

"Lady Yuffie, we have scouted the area. Nothing but a few monsters for miles."

"Fine," she said shortly, her voice hoarse, "Set up the guards to posts—we will not be ambushed tonight." She spoke harshly, watching the flames flicker in front of her licking at open air: trying to grasp at something impossible and unknown.

"Yes, ma'am," his retreating footsteps allowed her to deflate. Her soldiers milled about her quietly, none bothering her any further. She was left with her scrap of food, and her thoughts.

And Leviathan knew where those would lead her.

Vincent had shot at her. _Vincent _had _shot _at **her**_**. **_Had actually managed to shoot her. She hadn't heard from him in months, and after their meeting in the pub…he'd become her enemy. Junon might not have been there, but at least they knew they could expect no help from Kalm, nor Edge, or Junon.

With Gongaga destroyed, Wutai stood alone. No allies, nothing but itself to rely on. And Yuffie stood at its peak, its leader, traitor to the WRO, defector of AVANLANCHE, and sole heir to the damned throne of an ancient country.

She shoved a stick into the fire, sending sparks and flames into a frenzy as her gaze hardened.

She would stand alone, and would come out of this victorious. Wutai would be returned to its former glory, and Gongaga would be avenged.

"However, what about Kalm—why weren't there Junon soldiers there?" she mused aloud, And why were they yelling about Gongaga as if we'd been the ones too-…it doesn't make sense. There's something off, something we're missing." She shook her head, feeling a little more betrayed and jaded then any war leader had the right to feel.

"My lady?" Yuroichi asked, not having heard his lady's mutterings properly.

"You heard their battle cry, right? 'For Gongaga!'…now why would they be yelling about Gongaga, when we're the ones trying to avenge it?"

"I know not, m'lady."

"Neither do I, but something's rotten in Wutai…something rotten, indeed." The flames blazed higher as they fell into a brooding silence.

(Meanwhile in Edge...)

"So she's really taking on Junon? She's starting a war against the greatest army on Gaia with a handful of amateur soldiers?"

"It's suicide!" Barrett added, Tifa's ranting and worrying filling the empty bar.

"Indeed. She's convinced herself that this is her only choice. She says Wutai had nothing to do with Gongaga—however she plans to finish what she believes Junon started." Vincent stated.

"That bitch, Scarlet, built that city up from the ground. It's a fuckin' fortress. Ain't no way the damn kid's gonna do anything 'cept maybe leave a dent on their polished metal walls." Cid took a long drink from the cold one Tifa had set out in front of him.

"Any ideas from here?" Reeve asked quietly, "The WRO can't ignore her for much longer, we're already on thin ice with how long we've waited to take action already. We can no longer sit back and watch as the peace we've worked on for years crumbles in an instant. But if we can save her from-."

"Yuffie won't stop, we all know that. We're missing something." Cloud pushed off from the wall he'd been leaning against, looking at each of them that had gathered in Seventh Heaven, "All we know is what we've been told by secondary sources, aside from Yuffie's. Her story sounds the most plausible, and we know her—she wouldn't make this kind of thing up. However," he sighed, "we also know how hard-headed she is, her sense of justice may be skewed, but betrayal is a universal concept. You shot her, right? She won't be trusting us with anymore information unless we can gain back her trust.

"So, basically, we're acting on nothing. The newspapers just want a story, and everyone else is going off word of mouth, and the guy who hired us to take her out is sketchy at best. I certainly don't trust him." Tifa eyes lit up, an idea sparking, shedding a hopeful light on an otherwise hopeless situation.

"You're saying somone's not telling the truth, someone who isn't Yuffie?"

"It can't be ruled out that she's lying, but it's unlikely." She paused for a moment, her brow furrowing at a sudden roadblock with their theory.

"But why would anyone want to start a war?"

"Good question. That, I don't now, but let's not jump to conclusions. Wutai may have a bad rep, but we know Yuffie."

"Vincent," Tifa rounded on the quiet man, his crimson gaze meeting wine-colored eyes, "did she tell you _anything_ else? Anything at all?" she asked, a little desperate.

"Nothing of use, however I've heard around the markets that she might be heading for HQ, the people seem to think she's making a statement against global peace, but I think she's heading there for far more personal reasons." Reeve looked at him, having heard nothing of the sort, but having thought about it beforehand. Working for Shinra had made him healthily paranoid.

"I've already set up precautions against something like this. No army, not even one as agile as Wutai's-." Vincent smirked a little, and Reeve stopped short, cursing a little as he realized what Vincent found amusing.

"You're not dealing with her army, Reeve. You're dealing with Yuffie herself, a war leader now, but first and foremost a thieving ninja." Reeve smiled a bit ruefully, rubbing his temples at the oncoming headache that was forming.

"Then I'd best hurry," he said as he finished off his glass, placing it back on the bar, glancing at Cid who slammed his empty bottle on the wood in front of him, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and replacing the stick he chewed instead of the cigarette's he'd used to smoke. Shera hadn't been too keen on the idea that their baby would suffer from second-hand smoke inhalation before the age of three. Cid followed Reeve out, yelling out a farewell as he shut the door behind them. Reeve couldn't help but think fondly of the wisp of a girl, even as she threatened him and his organization, as he boarded the _Shera_, the pilot already beginning the engines and lifting off.

He frowned, then. The seriousness of the situation not eluding him. She was a threat, indeed. But he still had hope—if there was anyone he had faith in to change their mind, to sort things out…well, Yuffie was probably the last person to do such, but he had a better chance with her than with some random terrorist.

Back in the bar, Vincent shoved off the wall, grabbing Cerberus from the table where he'd been cleaning it, as well as reloading it.

"I'm heading her up," he said quietly, opening the door even as he turned to look at the last two left from their impromptu meeting, "Maybe I can talk some sense into her, or at least stall her. Reeve needs to be fully prepared before she destroys his security system."

"Vincent, are you sure? I know how close you two got working for the WRO…" Cloud stated, staring at him.

"Cloud!" Tifa admonished, but when mako blue met scarlet, the camaraderie was obvious, even to Tifa.

The former SOLDIER knew that if the situation was reversed, and Tifa was leading up an army…he knew he wouldn't be able to take her down, not even with the knowledge that it was for the best.

Vincent nodded, understanding if not a bit insulted at the mild patronization.

"Yuffie needs to know we're not abandoning her, but nor are we taking her word for granted." He sighed, "She's volatile, childish, and immature…I won't stand and watch as she gets herself killed." Cloud nodded, watching him leave, cloak billowing behind him before the door slammed shut.

There was a moment of uneasy silence as Tifa began cleaning up the evidence of their sudden get-together, as worried as she was, it was best that she had something to do with her hands rather than wring them together.

"He really cares-," she started, but Cloud cut her off, coming to stand behind the bar with her. She could feel his presence behind her, and she relaxed just slightly.

"He just doesn't want her to die," he said quietly, taking her in his arms.

"Even I know it's more than just that, Cloud," she said lightly, melting against him as she leaned against his chest, "Mmm, you know what I think?" she asked suddenly, squirming suddenly to face him, "I think he _likes _her." She smiled softly as Cloud smirked.

"Don't push it, Teef," he ruffled her hair lightly, letting her go to lean against the bar.

"Me? Never!" she laughed as she gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. The mirth faded, however, and Tifa look up at him, "Seriously though…I'm worried, Cloud. This involves quite a bit more people, this is bigger than just AVANLANCHE. This involved whole countries, people who-!"

It's war, Teef. It was bound to happen sooner or later. We just weren't counting on a massacre in Gongaga to start it, or Wutai to be the first to act on it."

"Yea, but-!"

"Trust me," he met her worried gaze with small confidence, knowing something she'd probably never be able to understand, "Vincent will keep her safe and alive to the best of his abilities, no matter what it takes."

"But Vincent's sense of justice is almost as skewed as Yuffie's…I just, I want to do something to help, but I don't know what to do." Cloud nodded, wrapping his arms around her and letting her rest her head in the crook of his neck. The sudden creak from the stairs to his left however, set him on edge. At the first small whimper he heard from the same direction, he had an answer for her. He let her go, holding her shoulders as she looked up at him. He smirked a little to try and cheer her up, but frowned as the movement once more caught his attention. He nodded toward the stairway, knowing Denzel would have his hands full in mere moments if they didn't act.

"For starters, you can help me explain to our two little eavesdroppers why their Aunt Yuffie started a war." Tifa turned to look behind her where the two heads of their adoptive children poked around the corner, and Marlene's teary gaze and Denzel's mild deer-caught-in-headlights look sent her into full maternal mode.

She sighed a little, one that spoke volumes and told them that eavesdropping was wrong, but she wouldn't reprimand them right now, "C'mere," she said softly, opening up her arms and kneeling to catch the bundle of Marlene that ran towards her, the waterfalls in her eyes beginning to go into full overdrive. Denzel walked warily behind her, looking at Cloud guiltily, but not fighting Tifa's embrace.

"Tifa," Marlene sniffled, "why would Aunt Yuffie want to hurt anyone?" Marlene sobbed into her shoulder, and Tifa stroke her back and tried to calm her down.

"Cloud?" Denzel asked hesitantly, having a bit more composure than his female counterpart, "what's wrong with being from Wutai? I heard some kids at school…they called them scum…but, Yuffie's not scum, and she's from Wutai and she's a good person. And she told us that Vincent's half-Wutain, too, and he's not so bad-!" he stumbled over his words as he stared at the floor, feeling small and lost.

"There's nothing wrong with it, Denzel," he knelt down, and Tifa let the small boy she called her own walk towards the older man. Cloud set a gloved hand on his shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze, "People are stupid, and you just have to ignore them. Yuffie's a good person, she's just been messing with things she shouldn't be." He said slowly, trying to figure out a way to explain something that he himself didn't quite understand just yet.

"Then why are they fighting?" Marlene blubbered.

"Because there are bad people, sweetie," Tifa said softly, "There are bad people that hurt others because they can. And all you can do is retaliate and react." Denzel looked up at this, a light of understanding in his eyes as turned towards Tifa.

"Like when Kuja picks on Marlene at school?" he asked, and Marlene lifted her head at this to see her maternal figure's answer. Tifa nodded, smiling a little as Cloud stood back up.

"Exactly," she said, flicking the boy's nose teasingly, "except on a much larger scale," Cloud smiled at that as he watched both kids return to clinging to her as she explained it as something so simple…

…and yet, it was going to be so much more complicated to deal with.

(A few miles from the Wutain camp...)

Yuffie looked up as the sun peaked over the hills. She looked to Yuroichi and nodded, and with one swift kick of her heels was off, the black Chocobo moving stealthily ahead of two others who were acting as her back up. They were as close to being up to par with her ninja skills as anyone.

Junon wouldn't know what hit them once she had the layout of the city and security codes. Gongaga _would _be avenged.

And she'd get revenge for her people in blood—even if it killed her.

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A/N: YAY! Character development! Heh heh…I know, it's taken me forever to update. You have my sincerest apologies, but punctuality just isn't my thing—especially with economics homework and a thematic analysis paper due on Friday…yea. The only reason I was able to write this up is because I'm sick, and it sucks.

**Like it? Hate it? Tell me in a review, and I'll give you your very own moogle!**

**Panda out.**


	6. Prelude to Destruction

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Are you shocked? I know I am. I didn't think I had it in me, but I've been inspired! YAYSIES! I'm not gonna question it. **

**Also! Be on the look out for a prequel of sorts to this lovely fic called Developing Whimsy. It should be up sometime next week at the latest! Much love everybody!**

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**Perhaps Not Her Finest Moment**

**Chapter VI**

**By Miranda Panda-chan**

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"Keep to the shadows, Reeve's not stupid—he'll be expecting us."

"Lady Yuffie, shouldn't you be letting us do-!"

"I know the passcodes, and I know where I'm going," she said curtly, cutting off their excuses yet again. She was getting tired of this—she'd done things on her own all her life. Being a leader evidently meant not having to get her hands dirty with things as delicate as getting what could make or break their plans. As if! The hell she'd let someone half-ass a job that she knew would take a certain…finesse.

"Listen—the silence…it is too quiet."

"Agreed, we should follow her quickly."

"Shadow to Falcon and Eagle," the voice crackled over the earpiece, seeming distant and curt.

"Go ahead," the one codenamed Falcon said quietly, glancing at his partner.

"I'm in—something's off, though. Don't follow, I repeat, do _not_ follow," she said quietly, the seeming vacant building confirming her suspicions. The protests on the other end of the earpiece said that her back-up felt the same. She turned down the volume, whispering a quiet, "Shadow out," before turning it to silent and proceeding.

Falcon's eyes widened, and Eagle shook her head gravely.

"She's going to get caught; we cannot allow her to be captured."

"But she gave a direct order-!"

"She's never listened to us before: why should we do her the courtesy?" Falcon said easily, already speeding ahead toward the gate before Eagle could open her mouth to retort.

Yuffie crept about—the area too still. Reeve might've been soft, but not that soft. It wasn't until she was halfway up the stairs on the third floor peering over the lobby that she heard the alarms blaring, and the sound of guns being made ready to fire.

An ambush.

Reeve was smarter than he looked.

"Drop your weapon!" one soldier yelled, a young man with a familiar face that she believed she had shared a celebratory drink with after the successful raid on Midgar and Deepground.

"Hmph," Yuffie smirked, mildly overwhelmed with arrogance, "Looks like you caught me-but now what?" she dropped three small spheres, her Conformer remaining firmly attached to her, and smog began to fill the air. The gas mask at her hip was over her face in a matter of seconds as the soldiers began to panic, choking and gasping before falling to the ground unconscious. Sleep gas, effective, but it'd only last a couple hours. She'd not kill in cold blood here, not with so many familiar faces and friendly reminders that she used to be one of them.

She jumped, a stray bullet grazing her still injured shoulder, another one grazing her thigh. However, she kept moving, biting back a curse as her arm throbbed as she headed towards the stairs that she knew were there.

The card keys slid effortlessly through the scanner, allowing her entrance to the upper levels with relatively little trouble. The soldiers were coming in greater numbers now, and as she ran through the restricted hallways, groups of three and four would emerge to block her path. Despite her injuries, her lithe form was able to dodge and maneuver to incapacitate and flee rapidly. As pain spiked through her leg where the bullet had grazed her, she couldn't help but feel the bubbling rage that they'd actually had the gall to use real bullets. The fleeting bitterness of Reeve's betrayal, minor considering his position, she knew better than anyone about political obligations and etiquette, not that she cared for either, was becoming a permanent fixture. The soldiers sent to capture looked to be ready to kill as well.

Lucky for her they were all poor shots.

She finally reached it, a slew of unconscious soldiers paving her way to the sliding steel door. The final obstacle slid open swiftly, a breath of cold air from the pressurized room greeting her as she ran inside. The cool, quiet of the control room was making her anxious, though. It seemed far too calm in the tiny room. She sat in the swivel chair, reveling a little bit as she realized that she was exhausted.

She definitely needed a good nap of sorts after this.

She shook her head forcefully, snapping her eyes open. She didn't have time to slack off as she began the increasingly speedy process of hacking the computer security systems that she had watched Shelke create, tapping the keys the perpetual ten year old had oh so masterfully used to protect the WRO's files via overriding master command locks.

Yuffie grinned as the blueprints of Junon circled the screen, and she began the download. The new and improved PHS she'd been assigned in the WRO could handle the technology.

At eighty percent completion, Yuffie noticed she was not alone.

"Your security systems still need work, Reeve."

"It's cheating if you already have the proper means to enter the premisis, don't you think?"

"Not much these days," she glanced at the computer, wondering what he was planning—unsure of where to go from there, "So if you're not trying to stop me, why are you here?" she asked warily. A soft chuckle from the blue-clad man put her on the defensive.

"No one said I _wasn't_ trying to stop you," he said simply, smirking a bit too arrogantly for her liking.

The download reached one-hundred percent, and Yuffie suddenly realized that it was getting ridiculously hard to keep her eyes open.

…and then it all made sense…

"YOU ASS! How did you-?" the small pin sticking out of her forearm made her scowl deepen, "I should've known you'd come up with something as _stupid_ as this—the bullets were just a distraction."

"A necessary one, sadly. They were ordered to not take direct aim."

"You're not gonna win this round, Tuesti. Sorry, but I've got my people to lead," she wrenched the pin from her arm, grabbing the disk and hoping she could still walk when she stood and felt her stomach plummet.

"There's no point in running, Yuffie. Your back-up was captured, and your motor skills are decreasing as we speak. You won't make it out of here before the tranquilizers take full effect."

"You've been planning this, haven't you?"

"Vincent's the one that gave me the idea, actually. I'd originally planned defensive maneuvers against a small army." Her eyes widened at the sound of her ex-comrade's name, mild hurt shooting across her face before fury blazed in storm gray depths.

"He would," she spat, the rage building. She walked, albeit clumsily, to the door, "So sorry to disappoint, but I'm not giving up that easily, " and she threw the smokebomb to the ground. Reeve coughed, hearing the door slide open and close before he could grab the PA system.

Within moments, Yuffie had scaled down the wall, a risky move considering her balance at the moment, but one that was necessary. She was running slower, breath coming in short gasps. She clenched her jaw—she'd be damned if Vincent or Reeve won. Continuing out, she had no doubt that her back-up had been captured. As much as it pained her to leave them behind, sacrifices for the bigger picture had to made—and they knew that. Besides, Reeve wouldn't kill them, of that she could be assured.

Looking ahead, she could hear Reeve's static voice and the thumping pound of dozens of boots on tile. Two more gates and she'd be on her chocobo headed back to the camp. Two more gates and she'd be that much closer to the end of this nightmare.

She sped up, her vision blurring as one knee gave, sending her toppling to the earth. She stood shakily, and proceeded to whistle feebly for her transportation.

Leviathan smiled on her as a black blur headed forward. It was beside her in an instant, and then she was riding through the second gate as HQ began its lock-down. She leaned forward, hoping the creature would remember its own way back to camp as darkness took hold and she slumped against ebony feathers.

.

..

...

..

.

"She escaped," Reeve said quietly into the PHS, "She's got a full dose of tranquilizers running through her system and _she escaped_. I'm mildly perturbed. I thought this was full-proof."

"I'll try and find her," the deep voice replied, and Reeve knew he would, "Hopefully she won't have made it too far unconscious—chocobos are hardly reliable without a driver," the gunslinger muttered before sighing. "See if you can't find out her next course of action from her back-up."

"They won't talk, they just curse at us in their native language," It was Reeve's turn to sigh as Vincent made a noise of recognition that he'd heard before disconnecting.

Things were not going as planned.

.

..

...

..

.

Yuffie opened her eyes suddenly, her head splitting. Good Leviathan, it felt as if she'd gotten in a fight with NEO Bahamut and lost! Her head was pounding, and the last thing she remembered was talking with Reeve—he'd tricked her, and shot her with tranquilizers, not bullets, but she'd escaped! And then-!

She shot up, wishing instantly that she hadn't as pain flared right behind her eyes—holy Leviathan did she need a potion, at least.

"You should be more careful. There are far more malevolent than I out for your head." His voice only confirmed his presence. She'd almost inherently known he was there from the moment she'd woken up. She glared at him through her bangs, feeling a little sick.

"Yea?" she sneered, "What do you care, Vince?" she muttered, putting a hand to her head. She closed her eyes until she suddenly became aware of the buzz of magic around her. She paused, looking up to see the pink overcasting dome around her.

_Barrier_. That bastard.

"What the hell is this, Vincent?" she growled, "That's a pretty cheapshot—trapping a girl while she's drugged off her rocker!" she glared at the gunslinger, fury rising at his stoic and nonchalant attitude. "Damn it, Vince! Let me go!" she yelled when he gave no indication of acquiescing to her demand. She threw a shuriken at it, knowing it would deflect it. He walked toward her as she moved to stand up.

"Not until you start making sense. What happened in Wutai, Yuffie?" his baritone voice rumbled, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of comfort at the familiarity. It was sad when the _(now)_ enemy had been a consistency in her life since she'd been sixteen. She let out a frustrated sigh.

"I already told you everything back in Kalm! We were attacked—ambushed in the middle of the night by soldiers wearing Junon uniforms," she took a step back when she realized his proximity as she whirled around, searching for an escape route behind him in the barrier or to the materia itself.

"And Gongaga?"

"I already told you, damn it! They attacked it at some point before they attacked ours. What makes you think my story's changed?" she yelled, feeling as if she needed to justify herself to him. That's what she hated about Vincent…the stupid man sent her emotions into overdrive. He'd always had too much power over her, him and his stupid eyes and ratty cloak. He just made her _so-_! Ugh! He stared at her intensely, his unwavering gaze making her fidget, but she kept her ground, staring right back at him, "You don't scare me, _Vincent_. Your intimidation trick isn't working," she was trying to provoke him. It was what she was best at, after all. She'd always been the one to get under his skin with a word or two.

"I didn't expect it, too," he stated, walking even closer to her. Before she knew it, her back was pressed against the edge of the barrier as Vincent created a cage with arms, a hand planted firmly on either side of her head. She stared up at him defiantly, despite him being a good two heads taller than her. He spoke softly, but the intent was clear, "Cloud and Tifa think you're innocent." _Are you?_

"And what do you think, Vincent?" she asked cynically, drawling his name.

"I don't know; it's what I'm trying to find out."

"And if I am innocent?" she pressed.

"Prove it," crimson eyes seemed to swallow her whole and she tried not to let him hear her breath hitch just slightly at his suddenly all too closeness. She was scowling, however, as he took a step back, the intense air between them dissolving instantaneously as she regained her composure and reason.

"HA! You want proof? Bullshit. Once a Turk, always a Turk—Shinra may not exist any longer, but I guess there's just no rest for the wicked, eh, Vinnie?" Venom dripped from her mouth with every word, and he found himself wishing for the old Yuffie back—the annoying , obnoxious one that didn't lead people into senseless _(losing)_ battles.

"You don't know what you're getting in to," he said, never moving his gaze from hers, "Your army is in shambles-."

"You don't know a fucking thing about _my _army—so don't you dare patronize me. At least I'm fighting for what I believe in!"

"And what exactly is that?" he asked, his voice rising ever so slightly as his patience waned, "As far as I can tell, you're acting like a victimized child in a schoolyard brawl." He knew he'd hit a nerve—he'd meant too. After all, she'd been hitting his since he'd met her. Payback had its advantages, but really, he was just being petty. She was acting like a child, and so he'd treat her like one until she acted like the adult he knew she was.

"HALT!" Vincent looked up, cursing himself for not having noticed the dozen or so Wutain soldiers that had surrounded the Barrier, "Release her, and we might let you live!" His threat was idle, Barrier would last until Vincent could hold it no longer, and that wouldn't happen for several, several more hours. However, he dropped it—it would do him no good to push further.

He didn't expect the level three Sleep spell cast on him the minute it was dropped, either. Yuffie jumped on a chocobo, a black one—probably the same one that had dropped her during her escape. His eyes grew heavy and he fell to his knees. He couldn't go out yet, though. There was still one last thing…

"What are you planning, Yuffie?" he ground out, looking up at the proud Wutain princess, who only smiled down on him ruefully, looking him straight in the eye with the smallest hint of remorse in cloudy gray irises.

"A massacre, of course," and Vincent's vision faded to black.

.

..

...

..

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"Junon wants its weapons, sir," a balding man stated monotonously, a tired look in his eyes.

"Tell them that they may pick them up tomorrow."

"Yes, sir," he said flatly, beginning to exit the room quickly to report to the irate customer on the other end of the black telephone.

"Tell them also," the balding man halted, "that I expect full payment, up front and in cash—or they won't see a single gun or missile unless it's aimed at them."

"Of course, sir," the older man turned on his heel after he bowed in reverence, beginning to soothe and threaten the customer on the other end of the phone.

The man sat in his chair, glaring at the TV in front of him. He was a short man, salt and pepper scruff on his thick neck that stretched up around his skull. His eyes were dark and his face drawn, gaunt with age and work. Time had not been kind to him. The newscaster's voice droned on about the recent attack on the WRO, and he sat quietly, listening with silent interest.

"They can't say you didn't warn them," a taller man strolled into the room, a cloud of smoke exuding from his nostrils as he exhaled.

"Indeed, however, the director—that Reeve Tuesti—he was adamant that the facility was secure."

"Either he's stupid or he had something planned," he commented, watching the TV behind the shorter man.

"Whatever it was, she escaped with the passcodes."

"What about the man-power you hired? AVALANCHE, I believe they were called—the one that helped take down Shinra?" the short man's fist clenched at the name.

"They haven't gotten a hold on her yet, says one of them shot her, though."

"Well, at least she's injured. Gunshot wounds take time to heal—doesn't matter what medicine you buy or the materia you use. It'll slow her down enough for her to not be a nuisance. What about the Wutai end of this operation?"

"Nothing yet. He sent me a message this morning—says to meet him at the Mythril Mines for the next stage to be set."

"You think he'll be worth it, I mean—can you trust him?"

"Hell no. That's why when this is all said and done I'm going to shoot him and wash my hands of the whole lot of them."

"Of course. It shouldn't be too long now, even with the passcodes, Junon will exterminate them, even if your mole's plan fails to produce results." The short man nodded in agreement, pausing momentarily.

'_Recent reports from Mr. Reeve Tuesti, the director of the WRO, confirm that important information has been stolen despite the preventative measures taken in order to keep this exact event from occurring…'_

"He actually thinks I'll let him and his people live if he takes her out," he muttered humorlessly.

"What a sap," the taller man stated, a bit disgusted.

"Indeed," the screen flickered to a picture of Yuffie, mid-jump, Conformer in hand with a scowl on her face.

'_Despite the lack of number, Wutai has caused an uproar, dealing damage to the city of Kalm and causing minor incidents all around the area of Edge. The WRO would like to alert everyone to be on their guard, and would like to remind the public that anyone found housing or protecting Wutain soldiers will be charged with treason. Please keep your doors locked and a weapon nearby in case of attack. Set up an escape route-."_

The TV clicked off, the light fading—leaving only the flicker of candlelight aside from the dimly lit lamp in the corner of the lavish room.

"Something wrong, Mr. Kain?" the taller man asked, pausing warily to puff on his pipe. The sound of quiet laughter filled the room.

"Once they're gone, Junon will get power-hungry…Scarlet instilled that much in those people. With Midgar gone, all they need is a little..." he searched for the word, "…guidance. Then they'll be the new powerhouse of Gaia…and they'll _need_ me. Can't you see it, Mr. Saldin? My plan is perfect—it's flawless! Fool proof! I'll be back in business—and there'll be no one left to stop me. I'll be so far up the food chain that nothing'll send me back to the bottom rung. Nothing."

"A flawless plan, to be sure, sir—how long have you been working on it again?"

"Nearly thirteen years." He mumbled, a haunted look in his eyes.

"That's dedication," Mr. Saldin said with a low whistle.

"No, Mr. Saldin," he said, "Not dedication," he turned to look him in the eye, the candle burning in front of him making his eyes seem to glow with an unholy light.

"_It's revenge._"

* * *

**A/N: HECK YES! I did it! The second major plot development! And I did it within a relatively quick time period of the last update! Aren't you proud of me?**

**Did it suck? Was it awesome? Tell me in a review and Save your Game!**

**Panda out.**


	7. Pulling a Cait Sith

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Yo! Hope it hasn't been too long, and sorry about the prequel that was supposed to be up and still isn't. I've been stressed a lot, senior year and what not. But enough with my excuses—please review! Also, I'm terribly sorry that is shorter than the others I've been posting-but no worries! The next one will make up for it. This one's mostly filler. **

* * *

**Perhaps Not Her Finest Moment**

**Chapter VII**

**By Miranda Panda-chan**

* * *

Yuffie growled to herself as she walked around the dusty grasslands where they'd made their camp. People were getting words of their plans. Preemptive attacks were their only advantage, and if the information kept getting leaked, well…that would be the end of Wutai.

"I bet you wish to Leviathan you'd have let me be leader now, huh?" the voice slithered up from behind her.

"They would have just shot you, not to mention, you'd have never breached the first layer of security measures Shelke set up for Reeve. To put it bluntly, if it weren't for me, you'd be dead by now." She said curtly, knowing how arrogant she sounded and not caring. She was so _not _in the mood for this.

Itachi glared at his leader, eyes steely, "You talk about the enemy as if they're our friends," he mocked, she whirled around, glaring daggers at the arrogant and haughty youth. She could kill him, so easily, and no one would question her…She scoffed.

"Because they were-!"

"They're trying to kill you and your people now! See? Talk like that is what will bring Wutai to ruin. Admit it!" she stood silent for a moment, arms shaking at her sides from the sheer effort it to keep from punching him in the face.

"That may be so…but forgive me for not acquiescing to the _whims_ of a child." He glared at her—for all this child talk, she was only about six years older than him. He turned and walked, knowing she'd beat him in a fair fight. Besides, he had bigger fish to fry—places to be, people to see—stuff far more important than dealing with the girl who got everything because she was daddy's little princess.

Yuffie glared at his retreating form, not turning back around or relaxing until he was out of sight, despite the fact that she was a little surprised that he'd conceded defeat so easily.

She sighed, rubbing her arms slightly to gather warmth. She didn't like this; she was Yuffie! She hated being alone, she's was no leader—maybe Cloud or Vincent or Reeve or someone that _wasn't _her.

She scowled, she _didn't _want this. She'd never wanted this—this was precisely why she'd run away from Wutai so many times…so why had she returned to take a title she'd loathed since birth?

_Kisaragi…blood heir to the throne of Wutai…_

She wasn't sure. It probably had something to do with honor, and wanting to finally do something right that Godo would've been proud of her for…not to mention she knew the hardships that would've occurred had let the throne slip away to the hands of a new leader. Itachi was far more young and volatile and irrational than she was, which was saying something. He wanted to get away from the old ways, despite what he said. It was obvious to whom his rally call was truthfully directed, although he designed it to flatter and manipulate the more traditional ones. Only a fool wouldn't see that it was only skin-deep. The kindest name she'd come up with for him and his kind was 'suck-up.' She'd give him the credit, though, he was excellent at it…

…but Yuffie was no fool.

She knew his way would've led to war without question, provoked or not, and she'd learned when fighting Sephiroth and returning home to find only hatred for her heroic actions…even glorious victories in battle do not a resurrection make. No matter how many materia were stolen and resold.

No, he would've assured Wutai's ruin…

…but was _she_ really any better?

Her insecurities had become more emphasized when she'd taken on the leadership role. She was scared, not that she'd ever admit that, but Leviathan help her if she screwed this up. People, hundreds of people, were following her lead without question (all but one, she corrected) to avenge their fallen ally or die trying. A noble cause, surely, but was it really—or were they all just using it as an escape route? Win a battle against the greatest army on Gaia, or die whilst fighting said battle so as to not have to live with the knowledge that the once praised and proud Wutai—that had once stood so tall, had caused many to pause and stare at its beauty—had become nothing more than Tourist Trash with ancient traditions and outdated values?

This was why she hadn't been sleeping despite her desperate need too.

"Lady Yuffie—you called for me?" Kuroichi asked. Yuffie nodded, it was a far fetch, but she was growing frustrated with her battle plans being leaked all over Gaia and then some.

"I need a favor…" she began, "but you have to swear to Leviathan you'll tell no one…"

"You have my word, my lady."

"Someone's been ratting on us, and I need to find out who."

"You mean…a traitor?" she nodded.

"I think so…there's no other way that every place we attack could know beforehand. Every move we've made so far has been countered. Surprise is all we've got, and if we don't have that…well, you can take it from there."

"But who would do such? All your men are honorable-!"

"Obviously, some are not nearly as honorable as we thought." She said cryptically. She mulled over it once more momentarily, chewing her lip as the faces of her soldiers flashed through her mind.

One of them was dishonorable, one of them was pulling a Cait Sith, and that one would not be treated near as kindly as they had treated Reeve.

"Ma'am…I have some bad news," it was one of the older soldiers, one of the men that had followed her father—one of the few trustworthy ones.

"I suppose it's nothing that we can ignore then, huh?" she asked, cocking her hip a little and looking at him pointedly, "So what is it?"

"We're running low on rations and supplies. Some of the men are still injured, and the journey is beginning to take its toll. The monsters in this area are ruthless, so…"

"Are there any villages or towns near by?" she asked, she had a good idea, and one came to mind…but she was hoping that perhaps there was another.

"Rocket Town is the closest one to the camp, and also the least armed. The most trouble we'll have is from—."

"Cid Highwind," she finished for him, the smell of cheap cigarettes came to mind.

"Yes, ma'am. Aside from Highwind, I forsee very little resistance from them."

"We'll take some men and get some supplies. They won't hand it to us willingly, but-," she paused, wondering if she was doing the right thing, "I'm going to mark a house with one of _my _shuriken. And if anyone so much as touches it, I'll kill him myself." She said, eyes narrowing.

"Of course," the soldier saluted before running off. Kuroichi looked at her curiously.

"Not that it's any of my business, but I am curious: who are you trying to protect in Rocket Town?"

"The one man that could ruin this operation, and his wife, Shera."

"Your whimsies never cease to amaze—why? Highwind can certainly take care of himself, and his wife will probably be hidden away-."

"She's going to have a baby soon, and me and Tifa are its God-moms—she and Cid have saved every penny to renovate that house for it…and whether or not he appreciates my intervention is irrelevant. The point is, I just want him to owe me." Kuroichi smirked, she was her father's child. She had the same arrogance that won people over, the same charm that could be used to manipulate or just goof off with friends.

"I'll gladly help carry out punishment on anyone that dares to harm the house you mark." Yuffie smiled, it was nice to know there was at least one trustworthy individual who believed in her.

"Thanks a lot, but if they dare lay a hand on the Highwinds' house…I'll be seeing to them myself."

* * *

Shera's eyes shot open as the yells outside filled the house. The glow of fire filtered through her windows, and Cid was already up—pulling on his boots, lit cigarette in his mouth as he grabbed for Venus Gospel—the spear he'd kept out of paranoia, not that he ever admitted to such.

"Cid?" she asked worriedly, afraid for her husband, and scared in general.

"Damn Wutain army comes knocking at our door and we're jus' lettin'em get away with it." he grumbled. He twitched just slightly, and immediately tensed as a loud _thunk_ was heard from the front door. Shera looked frightened, one arm laying protectively over her swollen stomach and the other clutching the blankets that had been haphazardly tossed aside. Cid waited a moment, but there was no other immediate noise. Shera let out a shaky breath.

"Cid, if it's…if they're from Wutai…wouldn't that mean…?"

"Ah hell," he swore furiously under his breath, "If the damn brat's gonna pick a fight, it might as well be with me. You stay here, if they get in here, run to the airship—you'll be able to escape in that if nothing else."

"But-!"

"Not now, Shera—I'll be back, ya hear? So quite yer catter-whaulin'." He griped before she could even _begin _her catter-whauling, as he'd so kindly dubbed it. She watched exit the room, crossing her fingers, and praying silently that he'd come back safely.

Cid opened his front door, chaos meeting him at the threshold with enthusiasm. Silhouettes of people he knew and people he didn't casting shadows in the dark along the walls of the dilapidated houses. It was the Wutain army alright, and he'd be damned if the short one wasn't that fucking brat. He ran forward, eyes darting for any ninja-esque movement in the shadows that could possibly get him killed…or robbed blind, as he'd learned on his journey with AVALANCHE.

"Whatch'all doin' in my town, huh? Get the hell out! Ya got no business with us," he proclaimed as he took a swipe at three soldiers, only one of which dodged and got away from his first attack unscathed.

"We did not come to fight," one of them said solemnly, backing up the one who'd gotten away, "It was your people who attacked first."

"The hell they did—if you're anything like the brat, you were stealin' or doing something just as stupid." He spit, his eyes never leaving the soldiers that were following _Yuffie_ of all people.

"We needed supplies, we cannot afford as much as we need—besides, it's not as if we'd have resorted to sneaking in if we'd thought you would have sold what we need to us without complaint or report to the WRO or some affiliate." The voice was young, and he shuddered to think on how old the kid behind that metal helmet really was.

"Well, lucky for you—you'll probably have a couple less mouths to feed after tonight," his laugh was gravelly and airy, his lungs heaving a little from the poison he consistently breathed in. The soldiers lunged as Cid took a defensive position.

And a shuriken whizzed between them, striking against something metal that resounded with a sharp _clang!_ The two soldiers jumped back, looked at one another, and then ran in two different directions—effectively ending the would-be fight.

If it hadn't been for the fluttering of an all too familiar moogle-cloak, and the prior assessment that Yuffie would be there—he might not have noticed her standing on one of the roofs nearby, the wind challenging her hood as it and the pale fabric of her cloak fluttered around her, the gleam of a Conformer in her hand not going unobserved. Cid spat and cursed in one breath, wondering if she'd ended their fight for theirs or his sake. He still didn't know; didn't care that much to worry about it too hard, really. All that mattered was that Shera was safe, thereby keeping their unborn child safe, and that the brat hadn't gotten herself killed quite yet. He'd bet she was getting pretty damn close with all the losing battles she'd entered into unarmed, unprepared, with nothing but arrogance and pride as her armor. He sighed gravely, as the darkened figure slid away before he could truthfully pinpoint the distance between his and her locations. Another crash, the fire seemed to roar to life a little bit more, and the red glow's reflection on his face made him look unholy and frightening.

This was going to be a long night.

* * *

**A/N: So here we are. I think it's coming along pretty well. Also, keep in mind, these are unbeta'd. And don't forget to tell me how much it did/didn't suck in a review! I'll love you forevers!**

**Panda out.**


	8. Corel Prison

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Hope the update came fast enough! No worries, Vinnie's back in this chapter!**

* * *

**Perhaps Not Her Finest Moment**

**Chapter VIII**

**By Miranda Panda-chan**

* * *

Yuffie growled to herself, feeling her ankle protest loudly against the weight she had only gingerly placed on it. Of all the rotten things, a sprained ankle was one of the worst things that could happen at any given point in time was she was off ninja-ing. The darkness she'd hidden herself in after saving Cid from her own men was all consuming. Not even the torchlights reached here. She rolled her shoulder, flinching as the stiffness pulled at the almost healed wound, and cursing as she tried to put weight on her ankle. She wasn't entirely sure her pain tolerance extended this far. Figures flashed across the opening to the alleyway, and she grit her teeth as she took another step, wondering how the hell she could make an attack as big as the one she was planning with a sprained ankle. Ugh, this sucked.

She made her way out onto the streets, only to suddenly come face to face with the barrel of a gun.

"Oh shit," she breathed, suddenly wondering if this was how all of Vinnie's victims felt right before they died.

With a single shot, panic broke out and joined the chaos.

* * *

Vincent looked at the man that he had agreed to work under to give the planet back some peace of mind. He stared at the shorter man with a look of something akin to severe suspicion.

"So she's been captured? This is what we've waiting for…with her in our custody we can end this quietly without anymore bloodshed…" he paused, narrowing his eyes slightly, "Except there's something you're not telling me. What is it, Reeve?"

"She's not being held here…" he said with a sigh, he shoulders sank, and suddenly he looked a hundred years older. Vincent's eyes flashed, confusion and mild fury setting in as sat waiting for him to continue in pseudo-calm,"…She's been taken to Coral Prison." Vincent's eyes widened a fraction, every muscle tensing as he whirled to face the director of the WRO.

"What?" he half-snarled.

"I've been overruled, evidently. I'm trying to fix it, but so far…well, the situation is looking grim." Shame shadowed his face, and Vincent, for a moment, only vaguely wondered how stressful his job really was—especially with the penance he was serving for being a traitor to AVANLANCHE and then blackmailing them with a _defenseless little girl_. However, his thoughts returned to Yuffie instantly.

"She's-…Corel Prisons Reform has made it far more…_strict_ on their prisoners. She'll get herself killed before morning." The Reform had taken place not too long after they'd broken out of it and killed Dyne. It had become more of a prison and less of a desert wasteland. The prisoners were taken, and most did not leave—did not even have the chance to escape by winning the chocobo races, much less escape by their own means.

"Indeed. I've been given authorization to send you to obtain information about the whereabouts of her army." Vincent could already see where this was going—of the two people he spent the most time around, they were awfully bad influences. A thief and a sneak. He really did need new friends.

"Reeve-," he tried to cut in, he didn't need to risk his job when Vincent would find a way to break her out anyways.

"However," he cut him off with a motion from his hand, "unless you have answers to the very important questions which I doubt I have to tell you what are—a jail break would only make you a fugitive, as well."

"I highly doubt that'd be much of a problem for me."

"Ah, yes—but for me it would be. I don't particularly find the idea of losing another of my soldiers to the law to be quite as desirable as one might think." Reeve gave a rueful smirk, and the camaraderie between them was hardly absent despite the conflicting positions their obligations put them in.

"Hm, of course," a ghost of a smirk, only slightly tugging at the left corner of his mouth, appeared before they parted ways: Reeve to his office, and Vincent to Edge. He had to go play messenger…the harbinger of doom, as it were. He only mildly found the irony humorous, snorting to himself as he walked across deserted grasslands to his destination.

As he strolled through the Neo-Midgar, he was hyper aware that even the drunkest of patrons had come to accept his more and more frequent presence in the bar, that his appearance was still a bit show stopping. Yuffie had commented how much he stood out, grading him on ninja skills that he did not claim he possessed.

However, her assessment of his daily ninja abilities, like blending in, were proving correct.

"Vincent!" Tifa's warm greeting unpaused the bar from their momentary stupor as he walked towards the barmaid, "Any news?"

"Yes, but it'd be best if it wasn't public knowledge," he said quietly, she nodded.

"I'll close a bit early. Can I get you anything to pass the time?" she asked, glancing at the clock. He thought for a moment, and decided that he wasn't done playing with irony like life had played with him.

"I'll take a glass of Corel win if it's not too much trouble."

"Of course, on the house," she smiled brightly, having already spotted the hand inching towards his pocket. He nodded hat her in acknowledgement, noting the blonde hero's absence.

"Where's Cloud?"

"Teaching Denzel that violence is not the answer, and also teaching him how to hit and defend without breaking bones. Marlene's upstairs finishing her homework-."

"Uncle Vincent!" he rolled his eyes internally at his title. He was no one's uncle, but Tifa was insistent that they were family, and Yuffie had been the one to encourage the aunties and uncles business. Mild discomfort followed that train of thought, but he was brought back by the tiny arms that wrapped themselves around his waist.

"Marlene," he acknowledged quietly, drinking from the glass Tifa had set before him.

"Denzel got in trouble!" she told him matter-of-factly.

"So I've heard. What did he do?"

"There's a boy at school who always picks on me, and he was talking bad about Papa and I got really upset, so Denzel punched him in the nose and broke it," she giggled, far too pleased with that fact, "Tifa got mad and called Cloud when she found out. I've never seen her so mad, at least, not until Kuja's mom came over to demand an apology and told Tifa how she should raise Denzel, and that she wasn't doing it right. She called him all sorts of bad names." Vincent looked over to Tifa, who was busy nodding sympathetically to a very drunk and pitiful looking man.

"Where was Denzel during all of this?" he was humoring her, as he already knew. But he had long learned to accept it. Her childlike innocence was a nice reprieve from the darkness his life was cloaked in consistently.

"He was getting lectured by Cloud. He's grounded, but I don't think either of them are _that_ mad, at him, at least. Tifa's mad at Kuja's mom—she slapped her after she said all those bad things about Denzel. It was kind of funny, she got all huffy until Tifa threatened to break _her _nose," Marlene continued giggling.

"I see," children never ceased to amaze him. However, Tifa never did either.

Women in general, were oddly admirable creatures.

Tifa was neither Marlene's nor Denzel's actual mother—she was far too young to have born them for the age they were. She had no real obligation to either of them, and yet she still treated them as if they were her own—as if she _had_ born them into this world. She was the closest thing to a mother Marlene had ever had, and Denzel…he loved her all the same. He may once have had a loving mother, but Tifa, had not replaced, but was the best thing beneath having his real mother back than he could've ever hoped for.

Lucrezia had been determined and stubborn in her own way, too, he mused. She'd gone through with her experiment no matter how had he'd tried to dissuade her. She'd born her hellish child, and died—but she'd have rather been damned than stopped.

And so she was.

Which is precisely why he worried for Yuffie so much. She was going to prove her point, she'd made that incredibly clear. She'd promised him a massacre, and loathe as he was to admit it, she'd probably give him one.

Whether it be referring to her army or Junon's, he still wasn't entirely sure.

"Alright, Vincent. So what's up?" Tifa asked, he looked around, wondering how long he'd been lost in his own thoughts as the bar was deserted. She smiled as he searched for her wards to make sure that he said nothing offensive.

"Don't worry. I sent Marlene to fetch Cloud and Denzel. So tell me the news of Yuffie—how bad is it?"

"She's been captured," he said monotonously. Tifa's eyes brightened.

"So Reeve can finally talk some sense into her!"

"No," Tifa's face fell, "She's been captured, but she's not being held at the WRO."

"Then where is she being held? Since Reeve is head of the WRO doesn't he-?"

"He's been temporarily overthrown by so many people calling for blood—they know he won't give it to them. She's been taken to Corel Prison."

"Corel Prison? You can't be serious, Vincent! She'll be executed!"

"Yes, after she's been treated as a prisoner of war and tried for treason." His voice was thick with regret, a bitterness that could only come from seeing humanity make stupid decisions consistently on heresay only.

"Tifa? Vincent?" Cloud's voice brought the tension in the room back down, "You have news?" Vincent nodded.

"I'll put the kids to sleep," Tifa muttered, hastily brushing away tears that were threatening to fall at the seemingly hopeless situation. Cloud nodded, hugging both orphans and handing them over to Tifa, who took them both by the hand and led them upstairs almost wordlessly.

"It's not good news, I take it."

"Correct, Reeve informed me of Yuffie's capture early this morning."

"That's what we've been waiting for—so what's the catch?"

"She's being held in Corel Prison." Cloud held his gaze for a moment before looking down at the floor and cursing.

"…damn," his muttered curse was a shared sentiment as Tifa reappeared from upstairs. She looked positively distraught.

"So what now? We can't just let her-!"

"We won't," Vincent stated quickly, hoping his reassurance would keep the emotional woman at bay, "But if we break her out now we'll just put ourselves in the line of fire."

"And we're back at square one: What do we do?" Cloud's voice of reason was a nice balance to the Tifa's rising in pitch demands. Not that he blamed her, it was merely that he had his own worries.

"Nothing, for now. I've been given clearance to gather information from her about the whereabouts of her army…but Reeve is concerned with losing another operative to the law."

"Can't really blame him; you're both impulsive."

"The same could be said of you, Cloud," the humorously serious show of machismo gave Tifa mild relief, at least nothing was hopeless just yet. Besides, she highly doubted Vincent would let anything as permanent as death happen to Yuffie. She had a bet going on with Cloud—she had a 5000gil on it, too, or at least, the feeling beneath his protectiveness.

"So we wait," Cloud stated, obviously not thrilled by the idea, but oddly resigned about it.

"I'm not happy," Tifa said, "But it's probably the smartest thing to do."

"Indeed," Vincent agreed and stood, "Alas, if I'm to arrive at Corel Prison tomorrow afternoon, I'll be needing to take my leave."

"Keep us updated," Tifa called.

"Of course, I'll call in any further news," Vincent took one last drink before walking out of the second Seventh Heaven the world had known.

* * *

Yuffie blearily opened her eyes, attempting to move until intense pain shot through her. Good Leviathan, everything hurt.

"You're awake, we was worried you was dead. Don't like maggots crawlin' all over the place." The voice was new, gruff and raw and from the sound of it—belonging to someone just as entirely undesirable as Hojo.

"What happened?" she asked weakly, more for her own benefit really, and the fact that there was a stranger in the vicinity was the least of her worries as the heavy weight of the iron fell heavy on her ankle, thankfully not the sprained one. Of all the things, she'd gotten caught because of a sprain—because she hadn't run fast enough. Not to mention the second gunshot wound she'd sustained.

"Beat the shit outta ya, they did." He answered, spitting onto, if she was correct, cobblestone.

"…figures," her head was throbbing; she raised a shaky hand to the back of her skull, cringing at the sticky and crusted mess that was matting her dark hair.

"What'd they do: take a baseball bat after me?" she demanded, only slightly indignant.

"Pretty much," a smoke laugh forced her to finally look at her surroundings. Before her was a scrawny old man, looked a little off his rocker with his wild white hair and beard. She jumped up at the sight, the look in his mako tainted eyes was far to similar to another's…but her movement were sluggish at best, and she couldn't stand without severe pain rushing through her ankle and foot.

He laughed again, loud and gravelly.

"I wouldn't be doin' that, little flea," ah, great, so he was a going to pester her about her ethnicity and nationality now, too. Brilliant.

"No kiddin'," She thwumped back down, head spinning.

"Ruining society finally caught up to you, eh?" he laughed once more, and Yuffie caught herself wanted to send a shuriken across his fleshy throat.

"Pfft, I don't have to explain myself to the likes of you," she spat, feeling particularly vindictive.

"Maybe not, but I'm sure they'll want to know." She followed his gaze, and she could feel the mild panic rising spectacularly. The old man's laughing didn't cease until the guards finally walked up to his prison cell.

"SHUT UP!" a sharp thump and the slump of a still body. Yuffie's eyes focused once more, head throbbing harder as adrenaline began pumping through her veins.

"Kisaragi—you've been one hard rat to catch," she didn't say a word.

They had bigger guns than Vincent's, and despite the overcompensation jokes that came to mind, she realized she was unarmed and incapacitated. She decided then, that it was probably in her best interest to keep her mouth shut.

"I think she's scared," one of them jeered.

"She should be," He twirled a knife languidly, smiling, "So, Wutai scum, where's tehr est of your ragtag army?" she spit at his feet as the last syllable left his lips. Rage flushed his face and he growled as he reared his arm back, slamming his fist into the left side of her face with as mush power as he could muster.

She flew back, hitting the wall with her head before bouncing and sliding to the floor. She groaned, her was going to explode—she grit her teeth as she opened her eyes. She'd rather be damned than admit defeat. She inwardly cringed as she felt the warm liquid trickle down the back of her neck, knowing that the bleeding was making it worse than it looked…of course, she didn't know what it looked like, but…

"Don't hit her so hard, you'll rattle her brains and then we'll never know where her army is."

"S'not like they'll act without their leader," she couldn't help but laugh at that.

"What's so funny?" they grabbed her by hair, pulling sharply; she flinched, but couldn't help the cackle that escaped her despite her swelling face.

"You underestimate them. We're a determined bunch—easy to kill, sure—but that's only if you _catch_ us."

"We caught you," they sneered.

"It was a cheap shop!" she cried indignantly, offended.

"Still worked, _princess_," she kicked him on reflex, but the chain on her leg, as well as her still very swollen ankle, kept her from escaping. The chain on her leg pulled taunt as she tried to free herself, and she fell face first, only just catching herself with her palms. Pain shot through her form, and she thudded against the hard floor.

"Stupid girl!" they roared. Yuffie prayed silently—she hoped they left soon. As they stepped toward, she braced herself for whatever they could bring.

Dear Leviathan, the pain that came with the first kick to her ribs almost sent her reeling. And that wasn't even the beginning. Within the hour, Yuffie vaguely wondered if perhaps Aeris would take her into the Lifestream, like she'd done with Kadaj and his gang back when. She wasn't entirely sure any of her limbs were still attached, much less mobile. She twitched a finger. Success! It gave her little joy though as an aching exhaustion sat in. With only an uncertain reprieve, she took the chance gladly, and welcomed the numbing darkness as sleep overcame her.

* * *

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Tell me in a review! (I'M BEGGING YOU!)**

**Panda out.**


	9. How Deep the Turk Runs

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Hey babes! I'm back! Sorry for the lack of updates. I'm graduating, you see, on Friday. So life's been a bit crazy. Here we are, though! YAY! **

* * *

**Perhaps Not Her Finest Moment**

**Chapter IX**

**By Miranda Panda-chan**

* * *

Vincent arrived late in Rocket Town to find the small town ravaged.

"Vincent!" His voice was unmistakable and Vincent found the older blonde man walking toward him, holding a small load of wooden planks over his shoulder, a straw hanging from his mouth.

"What happened?" Vincent asked quietly, surveying the area.

"Damn brat's army hit up for supplies, and decided to send the rest of the town to hell in a handbasket."

"Is Shera alright?" he asked, there were limits to all things—even war, even forgiveness.

"Nah, they skipped my house completely. All we got was a smashed window, and a shuriken lodged in the door." Vincent let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad."

"Yea, well, I never figgered she'd get to our town anyway."

"I'd been planning to rest at the Inn here, but-."

"Quit yer yappin'. Shera'd be pissed if I let ya sleep outside." Vincent followed mutedly as Cid yelled orders here and there. They continued walking in comfortable silence, Cid occasionally barking an order or a greeting at another one of the townspeople until they reached his house. "Yo Shera! Vincent's dropped by!" he yelled crassly, dropping the wooden planks on the porch. Shera waddled out of one of the back rooms.

"Vincent! I'm glad you're here!" she appeared positively enthusiastic to see him, and he was mildly disconcerted as Cid snorted, "How're Cloud and Tifa doing?"

"Fine," he said, the discomfort not decreasing.

"Do you have any news of Yuffie?" she asked, he paused. The truth would worry her unnecessarily, but he felt that he should still answer her somehow…, "That bad, huh?" she answered for him, understanding his conflict," I'm sure whatever's happened, you'll get her out safely. "Her faith in confounded him. He stared at Cid's swollen wife, who only smiled at him affectionately.

"I fear I may not be able to save her from herself," he said quietly, she patted his arm affectionately.

"It might be a bit hard, but the worst thing you can do is not try, right? What happens now is…it's up to her." She said softly, and Vincent couldn't help but feel that perhaps the advice would've been more uplifting if not for the fact that it revolved around the most hard-headed and childish woman he'd ever met. A blaring dinging noise brought him back to the would around him, "Oh! The cookies are done—I've had a craving for cookies since the day before yesterday. You want one?" He couldn't help the smirk that tugged at his mouth.

"No, thank you." He was already worried for his dental health by what Yuffie forced him to eat while on missions. As Shera left, humming a tune to herself, Cid reentered.

"So how's the damn brat really doing?"

"She's in Corel Prison, that's why I came."

"Ah, hell! I knew she'd do something stupid! Fuck…"

"She must've told them to leave your house alone—the shuriken is hers."

"I figgered, and like hell I'm gonna let her get away with it without some payback." Cid's way of wanting to say thank you, Vincent knew. He nodded, knowing some part of the old pilot was torn between wanting to kill her for invading the town and being eternally grateful she'd spared his house—more specifically, his wife and unborn child.

"It's late, I'll crack open a pack before bed. How's about it, Vincent?"

"Alright," Cid snorted a little at his dignified answer, but it was a common enough occurrence. They both had a mutual feeling that the other was completely ridiculous.

Vincent stared quietly at the ceiling, hoping for sleep, but knowing that it probably would not come.

_Yuffie…_

She'd better still be alive, he thought, mulling over her and the recent events. If they'd 'accidentally' killed in that damn place, well…he simply wouldn't entertain the thought of letting them go. He might torture them a little in Nibelhelm: ShinRa Mansion was good for _that_, at least. Eventually, they'd be begging for death, and he wouldn't give in to the request. They'd wait for days in darkness, and then, they'd start to heal. When they had hope once more, he'd put the barrel of Cerberus to their head. He'd pull the trigger with ease, and he'd feel no remorse as their blood splattered and the life ebbed from their eyes.

He mulled over his macabre thoughts, wondering just how deep the Turk he'd once been ran. It mildly concerned him that he was far too willing to act so violently for that mere wisp of a girl. He'd never imagined that he'd feel that strongly for someone who had once betrayed him—not after what Lucrecia had done. Stealing the materia from everyone and then—well, he was surprised Don Corneo could still move and function on his own. He'd reacted violently then, too. It'd taken weeks for him to forgive her. It'd taken months for her to forgive herself.

He shut his eyes, reminding himself vaguely to reload Cerberus.

* * *

Yuffie opened her eyes, groaning at her bad judgment, "Hey you—wake the hell up! You've got some answers, and you better feel damn talkative," she didn't say a word, the coppery tang of blood had long since stopped bothering her. He shoved her, the nameless guard grabbing the chains, unhooking the ankle fetter and shackled for the main bolt on the wall. She stumbled, her legs feeling like jelly beneath her as she was more or less dragged to the main gate.

She'd didn't quite realize she was at her destination until the incessant pulling on her arms ceased, and she was tossed into a room.

"We were worried something like this would happen," his voice was monotone, but she could hear the outrage and irritation laced underneath.

"Good to see ya, Vinnie. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me," saracasm was typical of her, but the bitterness it was seeped in still made the word 'Imposter' cross his mind momentarily and his eyes narrow.

"Reeve sent me to gather information on your army."

"You and Reeve can both go to hell," she laughed dryly, "I'm tired of telling you people the exact same thing only for you to completely ignore it," she spat, her tongue licking a cut on her lip impatiently, mildly perturbed that her chattiness had split the wound open once more.

"If you don't give me information, Yuffie, I can't help you."

"I already told you everything! You don't believe me, the elders didn't either. I'm being interrogated over and over again, but no one seems to be listening to the answers." Vincent paused, holding her angry gaze as he studied her, pondering over her words and choosing his own carefully.

"What do you mean the elders didn't believe you?" he asked softly, hoping that she'd drop her defense. It wasn't helping either of them. She looked at him warily, gauging how much she could tell him that he'd believe,.

"I had some suspicions...about the attack…the discrepancies were too much to ignore. I don't expect you to believe me, I don't even expect you to understand what I'm talking about.

"Humor me," he said, scarlet eyes engulfing her. Her eyes darted to the thick steel door.

"He was the only one we found. He seemed scared, not just to die—it was a different fear. He tried to tell us something, but, well, we don't wait for enemies to talk—there's no such thing as amnesty, not for any reason once you kill some of our own."

"You think he was planted?" His brows furrowed at the thoughts, and she licked her lips again, her voice dry and croaky.

"…something like that…" she slid down the wall to the floor, too tired to hold herself up anymore, and not feeling anymore threatened by Vincent than usual, as of late.

"How come you didn't tell me this from the start?"

"I'd have hoped you would've figured it out. The elders—they're arrogant cowards: they didn't want to make the people fear and riot because they'd been played like moogle flutes, but they wanted vengeance in blood for the outrage. I was told to keep my suspicions to myself; no that my generals believed me anyways. No one small group, nothing weaker than a large and well-armed army, could have caused _our _devastation."

"You kept quiet out of spite? No one would believe you so why bother convincing the ones who could have prevented this from growing to such a degree?" he asked, a flame sparking in his eyes.

"You already made up your mind the moment the bastard, whoever he is, funded AVALANCHE for my assassination."

"That's not true, and you know it," he seethed.

"What did you really come here for, Vincent?" she growled, the camaraderie gone. He looked, wondering if maybe she'd gain some sense with more beatings if they didn't kill her first.

"To try and justify saving your life." He said finally, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly as she scoffed.

"Fat chance," she muttered. She was so tired, she was terrified and hurt and he _should _care—but he didn't really, and she wished he'd stop showing up if all he was going to do is prove his apathy (and his everlasting attachment to the evil freak's _mom_) over and over again.

Vincent watched her sink in on herself, looking far too defeated. He wondered when he'd become this irrational with his emotions—wondered how she managed to get under his skin so easily when no one alive could.

"So you believe this entire thing is nothing more than an elaborate set up?"

"Like I said, something like that, yes," she shook her head in her hands, too tired to hold it up in an effort to keep his gaze. He could feel the anger swelling up in himself as he feet moved of their own accord. She looked up, hearing the soft footsteps on the cold stone floor. He knelt in front of her, his gaze intense and fiery with something she couldn't quite place. His hand nudged her chin up, and he carefully ran a gloved digit across the bruised flesh of her face lightly. She let out a shaky breath as he reached for something tied to his belt.

"Try not to give them reason to kill you," he told her, handing her a small glass bottle filled with an opalesque liquid.

"An elixir?" she asked, confused a little.

"Yes," he answered, looking like he was suddenly insulted—what else would he be giving her? She was injured severely wasn't she? "Reeve sends his regards—Corel Prison's reputation is not to be ignored."

"Oh…" Reeve had sent it, not Vincent, "Tell him I said thanks, then."

"It might not heal all your wounds completely, "her slightly tanned flesh was littered with cuts and bruises, "But it should cure them to an extent." At the word 'cure', her fists clenched just slightly. Vincent decided to not ask—she'd tell him if she wanted him to know.

"I still haven't forgiven you," she said, feeling suddenly very childish. Vincent sighed.

"Undoubtedly, I might never forgive myself either. I will not hide, however, that you have frustrated me as well," She bit back an innuendo that was dying to make him blush with his statement. However, this wasn't the time or place for that—not that that had stopped her before, but currently she had more important matters to attend too.

"Hey! Don't even start, Vincent! I'm already pissed at you as it is. There's a double standard here, ya see? I can get angry with you, and hell, you can even be angry with me—but you canNOT get angry at yourself. I'm the victim here! I don't have enough patience to deal with my own anger at you and then your self-loathing amplifying it. It takes away the whole point of me being angry at you. I've simply got no time for your self-loathing business." She said, chugging the elixir down and feeling instantly better.

"My apologies," he said, the smile in his voice enough to make up for the solemnity on his face.

"TIME'S UP!" the soldier growled, slamming open the door. He sneered at her, paying careful attention to avoid Chaos's host's angered gaze.

"What the hell? You healed her?" he cried indignantly, another guard ran in. He dropped the offensive position.

"Oh, I get it. Yea…the pain was starting to numb her. Best to heal her up before another round starts so she gets the full effect again." He stood there, nodding his head like an idiot when Vincent pulled out his gun, cocking it and effectively freezing everyone in the room.

"If you harm her, not even the Lifestream could keep me from hunting you down," Both men looked at one another, and then back at Vincent. Nodding furiously, they grabbed the ninja princess and hauled her quickly out the room. Vincent sighed, exiting the prison, and feeling Galian claw at his own insides to be set loose to tear them—the ones who had injured her so severely—asunder.

He growled darkly to himself, he wondered vaguely if perhaps he could go back and shoot them. Shaking his head at Galian Beast's sudden influence that was lessening by the second, he began to plan his next attack. Something was rotten, and he'd start trying to find out what with a look at the so-called affiliate that had sought AVALANCHE out. Reeve had checked out his soldier, Saldin, but had he checked out the actual dealer? It was doubtful—despite working for ShinRa, he was rather naïve, far too soft to mistrust someone that a trusted colleague of sorts deemed worthy.

If that turned up blank, well…he'd have to fear the worst: that Yuffie was the rat, and had been playing him all along.

* * *

**A/N: So, I don't know when I'll update again. I'm hoping for soon, but I think I wanna take a short reprieve on this (unless something suddenly changes my mind) to work on good old X-Men fanfics that need to be updated badly, especially in honor for the new movie coming out. So, expect an update (hopefully several) before August, just don't expect them for a few weeks. And remember—PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Panda out.**


	10. Jailbreak

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**A/N: Hi babes! I have excellent news—which is completely irrelevant to the story. One of my favorite fanfic authors ever totally put this story on story alert and also this story got added to the Of Sharp Edges and Gunpowder C2, which if you don't subscribe too already, you totally should. **

**Also, before I continue, I would like to share that—I wrote this on my pretty new MacBook, and life is gorgeous.**

**On with the story!**

* * *

**Perhaps Not Her Finest Moment**

**Chapter X**

**By Miranda Panda-chan**

* * *

She mumbled to herself, wondering how long she'd been in her small quarters. She'd tried escaping a couple of times but hadn't gotten very far. She was pretty sure her ankle was mostly healed now, whether it be from how long she'd been doing nothing but sit on the cobblestone floor trying to sleep off the weariness of life…or the elixir Vincent—no, Reeve had sent it, not Vincent, Vincent had only been the messenger, she corrected—had given her two days ago.

The old man had been interesting enough to talk to, in a degrading sort of way. He'd hated Wutai, hated the people from Wutai—but he was half Wutain. Go figure. It turned out he'd left their more traditional lifestyle for the big city life of Midgar and had fallen on his face. It's what happened to those who wanted to work for Shinra for the money, but their heart longed for its destruction.

He'd been shot this morning.

She'd made a comment about his odd idiosyncrasies and he'd laughed loudly at her, telling her a flea like her would never understand. His loud guffawing didn't cease even as the guards strode in and promptly silenced him. A gun to the forehead, BAM! The silence had deafened her. The bastards had even staged it to not get in trouble with their superiors. She was growing weary of it all, not that she hadn't been before now; however, now she was not just tired, not just feeling whiny and overworked—now she was afraid. She didn't want to die, and it was a sobering thought that followed the sight of a blood spattered wall, and she shuddered every time it came to mind.

There was no comfort for her though, not even in her own head. What little she'd gotten Vincent to believe wasn't enough to clear Wutai's name, much less her own. She'd killed for far less than this, and her would-be materia-filled hands were soaked in blood of innocent people…and she'd never have taken it all back before she joined AVALANCHE, but Vincent's trust…that was worth all the materia in the world.

* * *

Vincent was exhausted.

He'd been searching the WRO database, the old Shinra database, and the even older Shinra files, Midgar files, etc. Every piece of information he could gather, he'd read and searched for any connection, any possible relation to Wutai, Yuffie, Godo, etc. Nothing.

Not one scrap of evidence.

He'd been so sure he could prove her innocent, so sure she'd never do something this horrendous without cause, without someone or some organization pulling bigger strings than just Yuffie's. He'd been dwelling on it since this whole mess had started…and all he had to show for it was even redder eyes than he usually had.

Yuffie was looking less saintly by the minute.

He knew what came with the title of 'ninja'. She was a shinobi, a kunoichi, a killer. She was a thief and a murderer for all intents and purposes, good intentions or no. She'd stolen from him even, but who had caught her? What stranger had she forcibly taken from? She'd never been trustworthy, even though he would have laid his life in her hands. But WRO missions were a separate thing entirely, weren't they? They were a job. She'd told him once that it was her way of redeeming herself, atoning for how much blood she'd shed in the name of Wutai. He wasn't so sure she hadn't just told him something like that to make him feel better—his own eternal atonement was not much of a secret anymore. Lucrecia and the mistakes that had occurred with her and because of her were not something he ignored or forgot, nor was it something that kept secret any longer (even if he had, Yuffie would've ratted him out to anyone who asked loud enough for her to hear).

Cloud and Tifa had come up, too. They were looking through the rest of the files; Barrett was keeping Denzel and Marlene back at Seventh Heaven. They were working as relentless as he was, and still nothing.

No evidence was as good as calling her guilty to him.

Why hadn't she told him all of this? Why had she let things progress this far without telling someone? Without telling _him_? She knew she could trust him, just like he'd thought he could trust her…he wondered briefly if he'd ever fully trusted her at all. The incident with Don Corneo had shaken his faith in her, he knew, but had it irreparably damaged a relationship that hadn't even yet been fully formed at the time?

With Lucrecia's betrayal still burning fresh at the time, it was highly probable.

"Hey," Cloud's voice shook him from his reverie, the shuffling of papers and muttered curses alerted him to Tifa still working hard, "How's it coming over here? Any luck?"

Vincent shook his head.

"No, I'm beginning to wonder if we might've believed her too easily." Cloud stopped mid-sip from drinking whatever beverage Reeve was passing out today.

"As in you think she might still be lying to us?"

"Possibly," Cloud looked at him for a moment, mako eyes surveying the face of the ex-vessel of Chaos.

"You don't believe her." It wasn't a question. Crimson eyes widened, startled by the all too true statement.

"I have no proof." And Cloud knew that was no answer.

It wasn't that he didn't believe her, so much that it was that he didn't think she was as innocent a party as she made it seem. Cloud smirked a little though, finishing off his cup before shrugging.

"It's Yuffie, Vincent, when have you ever needed proof?" he asked before walking back toward Tifa. It was true, he had no need of proof in most cases—he was observant, and she was careless often enough. He knew when she was telling the truth, or more often was the case, when she was lying.

She had gotten herself in to this mess, though, and he was growing weary of fixing them all for her, but…

_And just like that—_

He began typing furiously on the keypad, fingers typing out a fast-paced rhythm that produced a wide range of beeps. The floor plan of Corel Prison lit up the screen before his eyes, every exit, every door, every measurement of each cell and room and hallway of every floor.

_-he came to a decision._

* * *

The gunfire should've scared her, but when she awoke to it, she could only smile to herself. The sound of the door at the end of the hallway made her open her eyes, a bubbling hope swelling within, the unlocking clicks made her sit up. Vincent with his glowing red eyes was suddenly undoing the chains on her hands.

"Vinnie?"

"Hurry," She smiled, still a bit groggy but feeling better than she had in months.

"—knew you'd see it my way," she said, a grin in her voice.

"Don't get cocky. We're not out of here just yet."

"Psh, please, Vince—I'm the Great Ninja Yuffie! I'm not worried, I'm looking for something." In the darkness she could make it out just barely, the outline of a bigger and darker shadow in the shape of a doorway, "Aha! You hold them off for a bit, I'll be right back."

"Yuffie!" her name was almost a curse on his lips as she ran off in to the darkness to their left. Guards yelling, more gunfire—he was going to kill her himself when he got ahold of her.

"C'mon!" he growled, hearing her light and quiet footsteps. He grabbed her arm, careful even in his haste of the golden claw attached to his own hand. "What were you doing? I didn't come here for you to steal things from a prison, Yuffie."

"Like anything here is worth stealing." She gasped as they swerved around a corner, the exhilaration getting to her. "They took my materia. You didn't really think I'd leave without getting it and them back, did you?" He scoffed; she was so petty for a feared warlord. Vincent shot two more guards in the shoulder, working to kill as few men as possible. Reeve was going to piss himself when he heard about this, Vincent smirked a little. "Let's go, Yuffie."

"Right!" She said, a smile on her face as she grabbed her Conformer (which he vaguely noted she hadn't been carrying before she'd left him for that _split second_. She threw it forcefully, the air hissing as it cut through whatever stood in its way before hitting the wall with a _thunk_. She jumped, twirled, and cartwheeled to the other side of the hallway, and Vincent followed, bullets flying from every direction. She grabbed her weapon, jerking it from the wall and running after the scarlet eyed man who was quickly forcing his way through the hoards of soldiers.

And then they were outside, sirens blaring and search lights splitting the darkness that blanketed the grasslands before them, a chocobo tied up and waiting for them not too far away from their grand exit.

Vincent untied it, climbing onto it with ease before helping her on so as to sit behind him. She took a deep breath, the sweet air rushing into her lungs that had only breathed the dry, hot air of the prison.

"Hold on," and she nodded against his back, content for just a little while as she wrapped her arms around his waist and reveled in his warmth. The ride started off silent as the grave as they headed for WRO headquarters. She wondered if it was simply her imagination that he had shut her out totally, his personality biting frostily despite the heat he radiated in the cool night.

"The night seems so calm for all the ruckus we caused."

"Hn," was what he deemed a worthy response. She pondered how serene she felt just being near him. He was her partner, her comrade-in-arms, and confidante. Everything they'd been through, all the saving the world business, all the WRO missions and keeping the peace while a hundred of so angry country bumpkins unhappy with having to revert to using their own means to keep life going without mako energy fixing their every need—it'd had made it that much easier for her to see a him less as a partner and more of a…

Well, she didn't really know at this point, but something more than a mere partner. Something more than just a friend, although he was her best friend without a doubt, but more than that…she wasn't quite sure anymore. She nuzzled her head deeper into the crimson cape that separated them. It was soft from all the wear and tear, and while it smelled slightly, it was a comfort to her.

The stars shining on them, and the gentle jostling of the chocobo beneath them was something familiar, and she'd been away from things that were familiar for so long.

She momentarily wished that it would last forever, that she could be selfish and just stay with him—leave Wutai and all its crap behind her, ignore her birthright and live freely. She squeezed her eyes shut in a quiet act of rebellion against whatever Leviathan had in store for her.

Vincent stared at the grasslands in front of them, scrutinizing every shadow that dared to appear as if it was alive. He wasn't going to take chances with all the risks he'd taken tonight already. However, when he felt her press against his back, her body chilled only slightly from the night air as the sweat dried on her skin from the battle in the prison hallways, his paranoia decreased slightly. It was enough for her to shiver slightly and lean closer to him, his cape captured between them. He could feel her every breath, and he could feel his own muscles relax with the rhythm of breathing and the heartbeat he could feel steadily beating against his back. She was here, she was safe, and for this moment, there were no enemies to fight.

But he knew it wouldn't last longer than this—something would happen, some enemy would come, someone or something catastrophic and evil would be after them soon, and this moment would end. He knew, without a doubt, that he didn't want to face whatever was heading for them. Inside, he knew, that no matter what happened, things would never be as they were once. Her smile would never be as bright, the betrayal would ink into her eyes every once in awhile when she thought back, and she'd suddenly hate him for a day or two—assuming they both survived this whole ordeal, which was a stretch as this point, he'd give it that. She'd never be as pure as she'd been—being trapped in your own skin would create a permanent darkness, if it hadn't already, that would continuously make itself known for the rest of her days on a whim.

He sighed wearily as the chocobo stopped in front of HQ, the quiet peace was over—it was time to continue with their respective role as captor and captive. They walked up the stairs in silence, Yuffie's head held down for the most part with the occasional breakthrough of defiance. A few soldiers met them on their way to the elevator, but none got in with them, and for that Vincent was thankful. He didn't want the silence to break just yet,..

"So…thanks for the jailbreak, Vince. I-" the elevator doors opened, and they proceeded down the corridor in before them.

"Don't thank me just yet." He said cryptically. She looked at him warily, head whipping around to face him, all traces of slight embarrassment and awkwardness replaced with righteous fury. He simply gave her a very pointed look, before turning left, then right, right, and going down a flight of stairs through several restricted levels. Finally, they came to a familiar steel door. The Control Room had the biggest computer in the entire building, the most powerful running system within a twenty-mile radius—not that there was a lot of civilization twenty-miles outside of HQ from any direction.

She stepped over the threshold gingerly, feeling the need to flee as he followed her and the door slid shut behind him. He walked over to a large rectangular table where thick stacks of manila folders were gorged on files.

He tossed her a file folder, and slid the chair away from the massive screen of the WRO's computer (outfitted by Shalua and refined by Shelke) and nodded his head in its direction.

"Find it." She should've realized he wouldn't speak like an intelligent human being, although whether he was human had always been up in the air…

"Find what?" she asked harshly, feeling more hurt than anger as the seconds ticked by.

"Anything. Anything that will prove your innocence." She stood there flabbergasted, gaping like a fish. His eyes were sharp, though, despite his weariness.

"I'm trusting you, Yuffie," she nodded, feeling the weight of that statement sink in and knowing how heavy the burden it carried as it took rest on her shoulders and heart, "But know this—if you've betrayed us-!"

"I'm not Lucrecia, Vincent. Don't you dare think I'll act like her."

"—I'll dispatch you myself." Yuffie sniffed, suddenly losing the warm fuzzy feeling that'd been bubbling inside since Vincent had 'rescued' her. He spun on his heel, his cape making his exit all the more dramatic as his footsteps thudded against the metallic floor down the hallway. The automatic door slid shut behind him, and she could almost hear it lock in place…

…as if that'd stop her from escaping if she wanted out. It had been her job to find flaws in the system. Reeve was getting too arrogant for his own good.

She sat down, glaring at the blue computer screen filled with open files of Shinra, the WRO, and the Turks, everyone that had ever mattered.

"Stupid vampire—thinks I'm his dead girlfriend incarnate. Ugh. Whatever. He wants proof? I'll find him some damn proof." She grumbled.

It was going to be a long night.

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Yuffie's eyes were bloodshot, fluttering closed against her will. She was so tired, and she still had nothing to show him. Nothing to get him back on her side once and for all. She let her head drop on to the keyboard, an alert popping up that the operation requested was unavailable with her current level of access. She let out a frustrated groan through gritted teeth.

She'd been through the Shinra files, Scarlet's _and_ Heidegger's note, and she was currently sifting through the WRO files. She'd already found Saldin's records; it was white as the driven snow, completely clean. He'd been involved in Shinra as an infantryman, and then after its fall had been hired by Reeve…he'd retired from being a field soldier a year ago. Now he was only on the business end, in charge of weapons development and stock: the scout boy for a non-corrupt manufacturer. She scanned the information, over and over again. Nothing.

She clicked a couple times, eventually finding the supposed company Saldin had found for Reeve. The company was a non-descript, privately owned sort of business that had gone public after Shinra's fall. Nothing incredibly suspicious—quite a few businesses had started to make a profit from the public once Scarlet, Heidegger, and Hojo no longer held their strings. After all, with no SOLDIER program to eat up funding and products, nothing was stopping from becoming good capitalists amidst the poverty plaguing the world. She pulled up the file's coding, hoping to find something to go on, something to lead her further into the company.

"_Always check the codes, Yuffie Kisaragi—if there is anything being hidden, the file will be encrypted in the code of the file." _

Shelke's voice echoed in her head during the tutorials she gave as they hacked through mainframes to get information. She scrolled quickly through the numbers, letters, and symbols that made up the language that only had a general knowledge of…however she knew how to spot flaws, and she knew how to spot hidden files.

Which is what she found amidst the coding. A locked file that had an encryption code, and she'd bet materia more than one. She began typing, becoming frantic with every DENIED that flashed across the screen. She hit the table beside the keyboard, frustrated, exhausted, and in need of sleep.

She wearily pressed the button underneath the desk, waiting for the stupid vampire's deep voice to ask about her progress.

She wasn't disappointed.

"Have you found anything?"

"Possibly," she said curtly, feeling a little out of breath, "but I need Shelke to help me crack some encryption codes and possibly some firewalls, too."

"Are you sure?" he asked hesitantly.

"YES! Go wake her up, will ya? _Now_, Vince!" Now she was more than frustrated, leave it to Vince remind her at three AM that Shelke was his favorite Tsviet/killer turne good girl.

Leviathan , she needed sleep…

The door opened suddenly, revealing a wide-awake ten-year-old (In appearance only, Shelke always reminded) girl.

"Yuffie Kisaragi, you called for me"

"Yes! Get through these encryption codes for me, will ya? I will love you forever if you do!... or I just won't steal anything from you for a two weeks."

"I will see what I can do," she said slowly, nodding before heading toward Yuffie's now un-occupied chair. She sat down, and Yuffie felt her head nod before her eyes closed again of their own accord. She leaned against the metal wall, wishing she'd probably warmer clothes for this. She yawned, laying down beside the door as the sound of typing reached her ears, and sleep overcame her.

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**A/N: OMG! This took forever to write. I was going good and then BAM! I wasn't. But I got it done! And it's longer than last time's, so I hope you're all happier (Turns out I lied, I got absolutely nothing done on anything else between now and the last time I updated.) Please Review!**

**Panda out.**


	11. Revelations II

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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**A/N: I'm NOT dead, I promise. College man, down time is something I use to take naps in. I'm sorry it took so long to get this up, but this starts the beginning of the end. I hope you like this chapter as much as I did. **

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**Perhaps Not Her Finest Moment**

**by Miranda Panda-chan**

**Chapter XI**

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"Yuffie Kisaragi." The sound of her name sent adrenaline pumping through her veins. She'd been dead to the world—she hadn't slept like that in months. Leviathan, she was so tired all the time nowadays, she missed the beds in the inns or even her futon in Wutai.

"Wha-?"

"I have broken through the firewall and the encryption codes. Is this what you were looking for?" Yuffie stood up, rubbing bleary eyes and staggering toward the screen to try and actually read what was written there. Five minutes later, she was making plans to kill one extraordinarily trusting and naïve and _gullible_ Reeve Tuesti. She slammed her hand against the red button hidden underneath the table.

"Yuf-."

"Vincent! Get up here—and bring Reeve, I'm gonna kill'im." Her voice was hoarse, but that didn't stop her from threatening. She almost here the pseudo-vampire roll his eyes over the intercom.

"Is Shelke still with you?"

"Does it matter? Just get your emo-ass up here, Vincent!" it was rare that she used his proper name rather than her own bastardized deviations of it. He left without another word, walking up to the control room where Yuffie and Shelke waited behind locked steel doors.

He hoped she had found something useful, something that would finally put his mind at rest, something they could hold all use to clear her name both legally as well as emotionally.

The doors opened, too slowly in his opinion, and suddenly he had an armful of Yuffie who looked worse for wear.

"It took you long enough—ugh! C'mon!" She dragged him, holding on his clawed hand, making him more wary and nervous than before. Her blatant disregard for his personal space was something he'd come to accept, her blatant disregard for her safety on the other hand (from him or anyone else) was another matter entirely, one that he was still coming to terms with (and not doing very well at it, either).

"Vincent Valentine, we've discovered a covert hidden file amidst the coding of one of the Shinra documents that connects a-."

"Just let him read it," her voice was harsh, a certain amount anger and weariness mixed into one. White words on a blue screen showed themselves in mass. Yuffie couldn't help the sudden grin that came to her face as she read it the first couple of sentences over again. Vincent would have to believe her now. He and the rest of AVALANCHE would trust her again!

She continued reading, the beginnings of anger and righteous fury flooded her veins. This bastard had been the reason she no longer had a mother. He was the reason her old man had stopped being so much of a father as an emperor…

He was the reason she'd been thrust into the world at the tender age of 16 to steal and find all the materia she could get her hands on…by any means necessary.

He was the reason she'd had to grow up and live with being called names like 'Wutai flea', 'Wutai scum', and watched her precious home fall from glory. She couldn't help the smugness that welled inside when it came to her attention that the mission had been dubbed a failure. Despite slaughtering hundreds, their ambush had been found out—they'd lost far too many of their own men for Shinra to call it a victory—the cocky bastards. She'd been the reason the ambush had been found out. She'd been practicing her shuriken throwing when she'd heard voices. She'd seen the helmets, the guns, and the uniforms. She wasn't too young to understand what they meant. She'd known what was happening even as a seven year old. She'd ran back, waiting till she was halfway home to start yelling at the top of her lungs to the first guards she saw as she blurred past them.

At least they'd had a fighting chance, not that it had helped.

The leader of the mission, Kain, had backed her into a corner, her mother dead not but a few meters away. Her house in flames, and Godo nowhere to be found—she'd thought it would be the end of her. The man who'd been barking orders to the others was going to kill her…

And suddenly Godo had burst in, Chekov behind him, looking angrier than he'd ever been (and she'd seen him at his angriest—most of the time, it'd been her fault).

Sword in hand, they'd fought as Chekov grabbed her and took her down the path to Da Chou. She'd not seen the end of the battle, but the lack of immediate concern of a second attack (which had happened a month or so later) had given her the idea that the evil man was thoroughly dead.

Obviously, she'd been wrong, as had her father.

The man, Marcus Kain, had lived, and had gone on to become a weapons' manufacturer on the surface and arms dealer in the underground—spying on Wutai (and her, evidently) and world politics though his connection, probably Saldin, in the WRO. The idea made her skin crawl, that someone like him had outlive her old man.

"Yuffie?" his voice brought her back to Gaia. She looked at him, vaguely startled at the amount of concern she could there. Then she became aware that she'd been gritting her teeth, fists clenched and shaking slightly with righteous fury.

They'd been played like puppets. This evil man was making money off her dead kinsmen! "I'm fine," she grit out. She looked away from him, turning her gaze to the floor. The hell she was just going to sit back and let the WRO handle it. No, this wasn't their fight. This was between Wutai and this arrogant asshole that needed to be publicly shanked. And she'd be sure he got what he deserved.

"Shelke, can you track him down?" Shelke nodded hesitantly, unused to hearing the Wutain princess so angry. She began typing furiously as she always did, when suddenly the screen shut off. They both looked up, startled, one gaze questioning, the other livid.

"It's been a long two days," he said matter-of-factly, "we could all use some rest before we," he seemed to stress the word, "start planning our next move," she resisted the urge to scoff. Vincent and teamwork were never compatible, and she didn't believe for a second that anything had changed. She knew the vampire-esque man better than anyone alive…except maybe Shelke…who knew far more than she did about the red-caped man because of Lucrecia's memories…which still really irked her…but that was sooo not the point.

"Bullshit, Vincent! Turn it back on," she stared at him defiantly, but he made no move to do as she demanded, "NOW!" she hit the wall, the bang echoing in the metal. She growled lowly to herself, wanting to punch the apathy right out of his pretty face.

"Yuffie, you need sleep. We can handle this in the morning."

"You'll be gone when I wake up; don't feed me your bullcrap. Damn it, Vince—this isn't your fight for once!" she took a deep breath, realizing the consequences of what she was about to say, but knowing that a low blow was the only way to win this battle, "We let you get your revenge—now by Leviathan, let me get mine!" She knew it was a low blow, she just kept getting better at managing to him in particular below the belt (she'd only managed it once literally, but figuratively worked just as well, she supposed).

Vincent was a strong man, however, stronger especially when it came to the safety of his friends…even more so with Yuffie, who so very often placed herself in danger. He was a strong man with as much enviable determination as possibly Yuffie herself. Crimson eyes turned steely as he stood his ground, taking her blow like the full-fledged murder-machine Turk he'd once been. He didn't move.

"This is different," he bit out, daring her to say anything more on the subject, staring her down like the petulant child she consistently insisted upon acting like. Yuffie, arms crossed, her own steely-eyed determined face in place went into full ninja mode in an instant at seeing his unmoving stance; her face suddenly a blank slate as she unfolded her arms and shrugged in mock defeat.

"Fine, but you should know of all people, McVinsters: this little set back will do everything _but_ actually stop me." She stood there staring at him—war had taught her a trick or two, and dealing with Vincent had always been her forte…although, she would agree, this was different from any time before. This wasn't just about playful games or stealing. This was about her life…and his…and deciding fates.

Shelke merely stared at them both, trying to decide what exactly the best course of action would be. Vincent caught her eye and motioned with his head for her to please leave. Shelke nodded hesitantly, not having full confidence that Chaos's ex-vessel wouldn't end up simply killing the ninja princess. She got up, exiting the extraordinarily tense room.

"What? Don't want your prodigy to see you taken down a notch?" she was just being spiteful now. He didn't budge or respond in any way, she tried again—anything to get a response out of him, "Why can't you just let me do this my way, Vincent? I've done it your way so far, and I haven't seen any-!"

"Because your way will get you killed," his voice was hard, and Yuffie tried to repress the lovely shiver that it sent down her spine to hear him talk like that to her. The concern in it put her on guard, however.

Angry Vincent? Yea, she could deal with that. Sad Vincent? That was his default, he was always moping and grieving about something or another. Happy Vincent? …that would make her life if she ever saw it. Concerned over Lucrecia? See Sad Vincent. Concerned about being a burden to his friends? Ditto on that, too. Concerned over Yuffie specifically? It was becoming more frequent, and she was becoming more inclined to believe it was genuine…more so because it wasn't simply concern, it was concern and…_something else_. And that something else was…something she might've dreamed about…but she wasn't sure she handle it in real life especially not right now and-!

…and all of that combined scared the ever loving shit out of her.

"I'm stronger than you give me credit for, Vince. I've stayed alive for nearly a year now without your help."

"And here we are in WRO headquarters…after you've only just narrowly escaped the executioner's axe."

"Don't be so melodramatic, Vinnie—I'm certain that they're much more inclined to shoot me than behead me." He was there in a flash, gripping her arms and being too close for her to breathe because suddenly everything smelled so much like _Vincent_.

"This isn't a game, Yuffie," there was that tone of voice…the angry concerned and something that was incredibly un-Vincent like with anyone who wasn't named Lucrecia. It put butterflies in her stomach and made her want to run and hide forever at the same time. "Your life is not something to be thrown away because of your _childish_ antics." And there she was again, backed into a corner by one Vincent Valentine. It was seriously becoming a problem with him, and she really needed to stop putting herself in situations like these…but she was still Great Ninja Yuffie, the White Rose of Wutai. The hell she'd ever let him manhandle her on a whim.

"Now you listen here! I'm not gonna die—sure, it's a possibility, but really, it's war—death is just one of those things. Why are you so damn sure I'm gonna kick it, because really, it's-."

"Because if you die, I'm not sure what I'll do." She stopped, looking at him wide-eyed, her breath caught in her throat. She took leaned against the wall, feeling like her limbs were made of lead and that her heart was going to jump out of her throat where it had somehow managed to recently take residency. It's not that she hadn't thought of it, she thought of him…and her…together…all the time. It was something she'd talked to Tifa about what seemed like a lifetime ago before the war had started, before she'd ever returned to Wutai. Tifa had been supportive, but had also told her not to get her hopes up. She'd entertained many the thought of this exact scene (it had happened much more awesomely in her head, and if she ever figured out to rework her mouth, she'd be happy to tell him of how it _should_ have gone). Here he was though, saying everything in a single sentence that didn't even have the dreaded L word…but she knew him…and she could read between the lines enough to know the meaning.

He'd been watching her since he'd said what he'd been meaning to tell her since many a WRO mission past. Every time he'd watched her get in over her head, every time she'd flirted with danger a little too much, and every single time he'd saved her, protected her. Not because he felt an obligation, although that had been the original reasoning, but because he didn't want to see her die…and it wasn't just that…he wanted to see her _live_. The idea of his world, that had been saturated in her presence for so long it was becoming harder to remember what life without her had been like, without her was something that kept him on edge every single WRO mission, whether he was assigned to it or not.

The emotions that kept swarming in her eyes, flashing lightning from one thing to another. He couldn't tell if it was good sign or not that she'd finally stopped talking, gaping like a fish instead. He watched her even more when she finally seemed to have good sense to shut the gaping hole on her face, and seemed to slump against the wall. He took a step back for propriety's sake, old habits die hard…and no one had managed to kill off his more chivalrous ones. She seemed to breathe again once he wasn't a hair's breadth from her face. It wouldn't startle him if she did find him repulsive, but he'd be damned if he just let her get herself killed. He wouldn't stand for another woman he loved to die when he could still save them.

Yuffie may have been nothing like Lucrecia, but she was beginning to pick up more of her unforgiving traits as time passed.

"Um…" Yuffie struggled for some semblance of control, some line she could rattle off and not sound like he'd just scared her shitless, "I'm…not…entirely sure what you mean." She said, it was only partially a lie. She had an idea, but she knew where assuming lead people, and this was a precarious subject on its own—it didn't need the help of untruths based on sheer gut feeling. He stared at her for a moment, but she continued on, "I think I know, you're a pretty straight-forward kinda guy, ya know? But I mean, maybe we're _not _on the same page, and that would suck. Heh heh, so I mean if you could, ya know, maybe explain a little bet—_mmph!_" There was a warmth that spread from her head to her toes, the feel of his lips against hers, the warmth of him pressing her against the wall behind her. The entire world seemed to stop as she closed her eyes slowly, enjoying the feel of it (although seeing Vincent's face up close was never a bad thing, that man was gorgeous, even if she did call him girly). He was there, and real, and _oh Leviathan he was kissing her_! It was a sort of internal fangirling despite herself that made her anger at him dissipate slightly and fall back to be categorized under 'forgotten until further notice' file.

They parted though, the lack of air beginning to impede any further action. She looked up at him, her arms having found their way to tangle in his hair, and smiled.

"I'm glad we're on the same page, then." She couldn't the dazed breathy sort of way it came out, really, it was more his fault than hers, he'd been the one to assault her face _in a completely wonderful and socially, not really, acceptable way_. She couldn't help the smile that seemed to be stuck permanently on her face. He smirked, because it was Vincent, and she didn't mind because he was always beautiful.

"I'm not going to let you stand in the way of me keeping the remains of my heart intact." The smile receded slightly, knowing she would stand in his way, because it was still her fight, but knowing that now it was going to be so much harder. She poked his nose, startling him, but she gave him a reassuring and teasing smile.

"You're far too corny for me to take that entirely seriously, even you should know that." There, she'd technically already told him she was going to make a run for it. Sort of, not really, but she'd have caught it if she'd been the one on the listening end of it. Maybe.

He wouldn't be pleased when he found out, but really—not even Leviathan would stop her now. She'd come back alive with the justice that she longed for and the stench of blood marring her Conformer. The hell she'd let someone else take of her life-long mission: to bring Wutai back to glory.

But first, she had an army to catch, and a man to ditch….and the latter would be hardest of the two.

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**A/N: So I'm pretty freakin' proud of this. I won't lie. Also, the next chapter, this was all Yuffentine fluff, the next chapter I'm recapping what's been going on the past couple of months that Yuffie was in prison-because her army was no stuffed in there with her, ya know? And they've been up to stuff, all sorts of stuff. Who knows what kind of stuff? ...I do. But you'll have to wait for it.**

**Much love, everybody! Thanks for everyone who's stuck with thus far! Please don't give up on me yet!**

**And if you loved this chapter or hated it, you should tell me in a review! Because reviews are happiness, and happiness is sunshine, and it's cloudy where I am right now.**

**Panda out.**


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